Polyphasic sleep, or sleeping in multiple short bursts throughout the day rather than one long block at night, is becoming more popular. It’s said to be more efficient and help you reach your goals faster – but does it actually work?
We are almost always told in today’s society that we need to sleep more. We’re encouraged to put our phones away before bed and relax with a good book to recharge for another day of productivity. But what if there was another way to reap the benefits of a good night’s sleep without devoting 8 hours per day? Polyphasic sleep proponents assert that this is possible. What exactly is it, you ask? Continue reading to find out.
Polyphasic Sleep Meaning
Monophasic sleep is common in humans, but polyphasic sleep is more common in animals. Mice, for example, will frequently take short naps throughout the day.
Many people believe that they only need one block of time at night to sleep and then wake up refreshed.
However, a sleeping disorder known as “polyphasia” occurs when an individual has several distinct periods during which he or she may be asleep (or waking), separated by longer intervals without any consciousness whatsoever – similar to how some marine mammals spend brief leaves from their mothers’ sides as if being accountable for every hour spent underwater!
Types of Polyphasic Sleep Schedules
Polyphasic sleep patterns aren’t for everyone. If you want to get more hours in the day, this could be right up your alley!
However, there has been some research on the efficacy of these specific types, and it is limited, so we can’t say with certainty whether they will help or hurt productivity at work – but overall, most people appear to be satisfied (or report that their employer approved)!
They include:
Uberman Sleep Schedule
This sleep schedule calls for 20-minute naps every four hours.
This may appear to be a lot of napping, but it can actually help you be more productive and alert during the day. It also doesn’t take long to get used to this schedule.
Everyman Sleep Schedule
This schedule consists of sleeping for three hours at night and taking three 20-minute naps throughout the day.
Proponents of this new routine claim that it allows enough time for work, errands, and other activities.
Triphasic Sleep Schedule
A triphasic sleep schedule is one in which you sleep for three baseline periods rather than two – after dusk, before dawn, and in the afternoon.
The two additional periods of sleep are usually taken as naps throughout the day.
Good Sides & Benefits of Polyphasic Sleep
Polyphasic sleepers have been shown to have a variety of advantages, but research is divided on whether they are superior to monophasic schedules.
However, according to ongoing research on the benefits of this sleeping method, a few things are marked as positive when practicing polyphasic sleep patterns.
Memory and Learning Improvement
Polyphasic sleep schedules are thought to increase the likelihood of forgetting what you learn after only a short period of time. This is due to the fact that it requires more energy and focuses for your brain, which means that if someone were napping during this type of waking up, they would not only miss out on what happened during their nap but also any new information gained while sleeping!
A recent study found that children who took advantage of 1-2 hour midday naps every other day performed better at retaining words learned just minutes before than those who did not – so perhaps giving young children some extra zzz’s could help keep them smarter?
While it is true that taking longer naps can improve your memory and learning skills, research shows that these benefits only last for 30-minute sleep windows.
This means that if you’re on an uberman or everyman schedule with short nap times (less than thirty minutes), you should expect no improvement in performance when trying to recall information from earlier in the day due to increased fatigue caused by not getting enough rest between work sessions – which could lead to additional difficulties such as decreased cognitive function over time!
Increased Productivity
As we spend less time sleeping, our lives become more productive.
Polyphasic sleepers frequently report increased productivity and alertness when they wake up every three hours to pursue activities outside of bedtime, such as studying or working on projects at home, rather than returning to office jobs inside an increasingly crowded workspace environment as a result of both technological advancements and changes in social norms.
Compatibility with Irregular Work Schedules
Polyphasic sleep schedules may benefit shift workers and those on-call, which account for approximately 16% of all working people.
However, there is no scientific evidence that this trend is more beneficial to them in particular.
Instead, it appears to simply disrupt their circadian rhythm, leading to increased risks of accidents or impaired decision-making, as well as increasing overall fatigue levels over time as a result of how multiple demands are made during one’s daily life when running constantly between different timescales (both biological and biological).
Polyphasic sleep schedules are becoming more popular in the workplace, but it’s important to consider how your body will react. Sleep patterns deviate from what we’re accustomed to, and sleeping for less than six hours can be detrimental to both mental health and workplace productivity!
Instead of cutting out entire blocks of time from each 24-hour cycle, try taking short naps on days when you need more rest; this way, there is always some catching up to do even if Mother Nature doesn’t cooperate by giving us her full allotment (which happens about 50 percent chance).
Increased Lucid Dreaming
For many dreamers, lucid dreaming is the ultimate goal, but it is difficult to achieve. A polyphasic sleep schedule may increase your chances of success!
According to one study, people who woke up frequently during the night had about 2% more frequent lucid dreams than those who woke up less frequently or not at all.
The ability to achieve consciousness while sleeping, or to become aware that you are dreaming, is referred to as lucid dreaming.
More research is needed, however, to determine the optimal polyphasic sleep schedule and how it relates to dreaming. There may be drawbacks to this method of sleeping, but if you’re looking for a new way to increase the frequency of lucid dreams, consider trying out these unusual yet intriguing methods!
Side Effects of Polyphasic Sleep Patterns
The natural sleep-wake cycle of the body is critical to overall health. If you don’t get enough sleep, your mood and energy levels will suffer, as will other aspects of your daily life such as your ability to concentrate or remember things easily.
Adults need about eight hours per day to maintain an adequate amount – but this doesn’t always happen because we all have different schedules! Students’ sleeping patterns are frequently disrupted as a result of their hectic school schedules. Another example is military and medical personnel, who frequently work extra shifts while on duty, making adequate sleep difficult.
Sleep Deficiency
Adults should get at least seven hours of sleep per night, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, none of the common polyphasic schedules come close to this amount, with an average of only five or six hours – which can lead to not only physical but also mental problems!
Sleep deprivation can result in depression and other mood disorders. This is because when you don’t get enough sleep, your brain releases chemicals that are associated with sadness or depression—especially if the person has been sleeping poorly as well!
Disruption of the Circadian Rhythm
The body has a natural sleep-wake cycle that is influenced by the circadian rhythm of the individual. Disruptions to this pattern can result in not only poor slumber quality but also an increased risk of illness! College students are frequently subjected to these disruptions, which suggests that they may be more vulnerable than others during their academic careers.
Shift workers who had to work split shifts reported being sleepy and having a slower reaction time. According to one study, while these benefits may be short-term, disrupting your circadian rhythm will outweigh any positive effects in the long run if you continue to practice this!
Reduction in Reaction Time
The connection between sleep and safety is undeniable. When you don’t get enough rest, your reaction time suffers, which can lead to accidents in a variety of situations, such as driving a car or working on a construction site with heavy machinery.
Sleeping well each night has been shown to be critical for safe performance during waking hours, including avoiding falls while walking, among other things! It’s not just what happens when we sleep; decreased amounts have an impact on our ability to respond quickly as well…
According to one study, 60% of people have felt drowsy while driving at least once in their lives, and up to 6,000 people are estimated to die each year as a result of this negligence!
Should You Experiment with Polyphasic Sleep?
The research is divided on whether polyphasic sleep schedules have any advantages over monophasic sleep schedules. You may be able to get more done in the day if you have enough time for wakeful hours, but that same deprivation may cause productivity to drop significantly—so consider your schedule before going all out with this type of thing!
Consider polyphasic sleep if you’re tired of your brain sleeping while its briefs. Solo sailors, for example, will use this when preparing for a race and need to focus on training hard without distractions or risk wasting time dozing off during workouts!
Consult your doctor if you are having trouble sleeping and need assistance in getting more rest. They will be able to provide valuable insight into what steps can be taken to improve this now and in the future, and they will also recommend ongoing testing for sleeping disorders if necessary!
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