Geb's Sleep Schedule Experimentation

[ttsgeb]

The other day, I looked at my schedule, and noticed that with how my 8 hour a day job is set up, I can start experimenting with different sleep schedules to give me more time awake.
This is awesome, seeing as I work a night shift, because it allows me to potentially have more time with my friends and my girlfriend during the day, while still working all night.

... Sooo... Being the crazy person I am, that has wanted to try out different sleep routines for a while now, I bit the bullet and a few days ago started attempting a Dymaxion sleep schedule.

For those that don't know, Dymaxion sleep is a sleeping routine where you divide the day into six hour segments. At the crossover between the segments, you take a 30 minute nap, and that is all you sleep each day. 2 hours/day of sleep, 22 hours/day of awake.

With how I've been sleeping lately, this gives me roughly 8 hours of extra awake time... or basically, makes it so for every day I work, I have a day off to spend with friends.

I've also been seeing how different "Mistakes" and modifications affect me. The original plan was to have a "Catch up nap" on my weekends (Tuesday-Wednesday), and stick with the 6 hour schedule otherwise. I've already tried this, and since I started I've noticed a few things.

• If you have the schedule for it, it's really not that difficult to pick up
• It is however, very hard to keep up. After a day, waiting those 50 between naps gets really tough
• Self discipline is a Sega
• If you don't have Self discipline, you learn real quick that a 45 minute nap leaves you feeling like flax, while a 20-30 minute nap feels good
• Naps feel like they last for hours, rather than minutes. I've had some of my best sleep since starting this
• Food and work are good motivators to get up
• Taking a nap early, late, or sleeping like normal leaves you feeling like flax
• It's fun to climb ladders with heavy boxes while struggling to stay awake
• You need more food if you are awake more

That said, I've only been trying this for a couple of days now ...or something... not really sure. Days are nonexistent when you work nights and stay up all day.

I'm looking for ideas on what to mess up, what to experiment with, etc. I'm also putting this here so that I can document my sleep deprivation and such for you guys to laugh at my misery. I know I'd do the same to you.

 

[Ishwhale]

Interesting. Is 30 minutes enough to get into REM sleep? I thought it required at least an hour of solid sleep, but I could be wrong. I guess if you start hallucinating you'll know.
The Whale

 

[ttsgeb]

I've definitely been dreaming. I basically lay down for about 2 minutes, and then fly through the other stages in the space of around 2-4 minutes. The rest is REM sleep.

This is amazing, seeing as it used to take me something like 45 minutes just to get myself to start sleeping, and now it actually comes naturally. I just lay down, and BAM. ASLEEP.

It also feels like time is going slower when I'm laying down. I'll freak out, thinking I just spent like 10 minutes trying to sleep, and a noise woke me up. I'll look at a clock, I've only been laying down for 3-4 minutes.

That said, there were voices in my head, chatting, the other day after I laid down to nap. Kinda odd. I told them to shut up, they went to mumbling instead.

 

[Σigma]

Uberman. Period. Takes a ton of dedication to get through the first two weeks. They are Heck on earth, but then it becomes amazing.

 

[Ishwhale]

I might actually try this. It seems quite productive.

 

[Hermaphroditus]

It's productive and is alright in the short-term but long-term usage of anything other than a somewhat typical sleeping schedule is non-beneficial and detrimental to your health.

That being said, it's still something neat to mess around with for a few months.

 

[grossaffe]

this sounds like a bad idea. there's more to sleep than just recharging.

 

[Hackerbilly]

I'm going to try this.
Through, I don't know if this is a good idea.
If i have school.

 

[Mario]

I've researched this a lot. The Uberman schedule consists of four or six 30-minute naps throughout the day.

If you're still growing, trying the Uberman sleep schedule is a really bad idea. REM is only a small part of your sleep. It makes you feel rested, and you get more REM on Uberman than a regular sleep schedule, so it seems better. But the other stages of sleep are very important for growing humans. Your body repairs itself in the other stages of sleep, and that's when you grow.

Another problem is getting used to it. You basically need a whole week to adjust to the schedule. It's amazingly hard to be productive during this time because of sleep deprivation.

This schedule works because after a while, your brain skips the other stages of sleep and goes right into REM when you take a nap. Unfortunately, if you miss a nap, you will slow down very quickly (probably within the half-hour) and will be unable to do anything until you do take the nap.

I would recommend this schedule only if it's for a short amount of time (a month or less), and you should probably do it over summer or something.

 

[ttsgeb]

Yeah, I wouldn't recommend that anyone still in school tries it. At all. The Uberman is the 6-20 minute naps. I'm doing the 4-30 minute naps. I kinda screwed it up again this morning though, for the sake of cuddling with my girlfriend.

Seriously, though. Let me *Can'tSayThisOnTV* up my life instead of you *Can'tSayThisOnTV*ing up yours. I'm good at recovering from idiotic decisions and bodily harm, I don't know that you guys are the same.

I have not tried this long enough to make a valuable assessment of it, so basically, I can not condone anyone else trying it, especially not because I mentioned it. If I'm still doing this come Christmas, then I *MIGHT* make a recommendation. Until then, no.

Also, I haven't been a zombie either. There have a been a few mini-days when I was kinda there, but as soon as my nap is out of the way, I'm back to my normal self.

Unfortunately, if you miss a nap, you will slow down very quickly (probably within the half-hour) and will be unable to do anything until you do take the nap.

This is very true.

 

[nterror]

This is something I've always wanted to try, but I'll have to wait until next summer to do so.
In the meantime, it's great to see somebody else making a log of it

 

[vskid3]

I've always wanted to try this, but unfortunately I didn't do it when I was just being a bum at home. If I really tried, I might be able to fit it into my current schedule, but my body probably likes getting time to repair with me having to work out every weekday. I pretty much compromise and just get 6 hours of sleep a night during the week.

I knew a guy that tried this or the uberman with his roommate for a few weeks. He said it wasn't too bad after they got used to it. They had so much free time that their apartment was spotless because they couldn't find anything to do besides cleaning.

I kinda screwed it up again this morning though, for the sake of cuddling with my girlfriend.

The guy I knew was more hardcore than you. Things were getting steamy with him and this girl that he had liked for years. His alarm went off for him to take his nap, he did it, and never ended up getting with her.

 

[ttsgeb]

I set it up as a rule for myself before-hand that she is more important than crazy sleep schedules...
I don't get much time with her anyway, I want to enjoy the bit I have.

edit: F-d things up again today... by 4 hours... apparently my phone was on vibrate, so I didn't hear any of the alarms go off. *Can'tSayThisOnTV* you, Phone.
... I also didn't manage to sleep any on my 2pm and 8pm naps. Pissed me right the *Can'tSayThisOnTV* off... God, that was a bad day. Here's to hoping flax doesn't continue to hit the fan today.

 

[04tm34l3]

is 30 min enough time to get to stage 4?>

thats probably what you need

 

[Mario]

You mean REM?

Normally, no, but the idea is that after a while, your brain realizes you're only getting 30 minutes of sleep at a time and starts jumping right into REM once you go to sleep.

 

[04tm34l3]

Wow, that actually makes alot of sense. Sounds like a good idea too.

And I meant 4th stage, but I was just wrong.

 

[ttsgeb]

Assuming I get to sleep in the first place, I go straight to REM Sleep...

I've also found that visiting a college town on midterm week, and forgetting to bring your computer mouse with you, takes away any motivation to stay up all night. :/

It's been hard these past couple days because... well... I don't really care for all the time when I don't know what's around me that's cool to do, and my friends are all asleep.

So... yeah... I've been sleeping at night... I'm sure this flax will get back to where it needs to be when I get back to my 3rd shift job, though. That's some serious motivation to be up all the time, right there.

Looking at it all, I've basically been following the everymans schedule, with 3 30 minutes naps and a 2-4 hour main nap, this weekend. I still feel like I'm up most of the time in comparison to others.
It works pretty well, I haven't found myself being tired often, and such... I actually feel comfortable saying other people could try this with little to no problems. Set alarms for your short naps, for your long nap, just get up as soon as you feel like you can.