Polyphasic Sleep Cycle Experiment

I have accepted that I am extremely competitive. On a recent vacation, I worked myself into a  frenzy over losing a game of rummy 500 and tried to kick a soccer ball through a glass door. I have worked on being more mindful, but I have no desire to eliminate it entirely. It is my heightened sense of competitiveness that has fueled my pursuit of mastery in multiple disciplines and eternal search for any advantage I can find. This quirk peaked upon reading an article about Kobe Bryant.

A specific line stuck with me and brought me back to the article an hour later. “Most people don’t realize he is on a polyphasic sleep schedule, just a part of his total body optimization. He does dual core 2x naps.” Upon further research, I found that he sleeps for two 2-hour stretches at night and takes two short naps during the day. This is called a Dual Core 2 sleep schedule. The Dual Core refers to the two extended sleeping periods Kobe has during the night. The 2 represents the number of 20 min naps he takes during the day. More research revealed that you can modify the length of your two core sleeping periods to give you up to 7 hours, or as low as 4 hours, of primary, recovery-focused sleep.

Polyphasic sleeping acolytes claim that monophasic sleeping (one 7-9 hour period of sleep) is an unnatural byproduct of the Industrial Revolution. Essentially, we have been raised to believe we need “a good eight hours” because that is the only reasonable options for adults with a 9-5 job and any other responsibilities. Returning to the behaviors of our prehistoric ancestors is similar to the argument against sitting for extended periods, for the paleo diet, and for non-monogamous relationships. That was enough to convince me to give it a shot. Here is the plan for modifying my sleep schedule from monophasic to polyphasic sleep schedule.

1. To begin, I am going to transition into a biphasic sleep schedule. This means reducing my core sleep period to no more than 6 hours per night and implementing a mid-day nap of no longer than 90 minutes. While this won’t drastically reduce my time asleep, I do think this could make me more productive by requiring me to be more mindful and diligent in my day-to-day scheduling.
   
   
2. My core sleep will be from 11pm-5am every day. This will allow me to attend and cool down from evening practices and get up in time for morning workouts.
   
   
3. In 21 days, I am going to check back in and post the daily journal that I will be keeping. At this point i will decide whether I want to a) return to a monophasic sleep schedule b) maintain a biphasic sleep schedule c) attempt a polyphasic sleep schedule.
   
   
4. Caveat; I am in the middle of an AUDL season with the Pittsburgh Thunderbirds and the beginning of a club season with Pittsburgh Temper. On game days, it will be hard to get a nap in if I am traveling. I am also much more worn out after tournament days and may need more than 6 hours of core sleep.
   
   

Goal; To limit my daily sleep to no more than 6.5 hours per night and increase my daily productivity. Achieve this without sacrificing performance (writing and physical activities).


Other behavior modifications to consider;

1. Caffeine - It is going to be very hard to nap or get an accurate assessment of how I’m really feeling if I am crushing caffeine to make this happen. I usually only drink coffee for writing or before games. I have cut out caffeine in preparation for this experiment. My only intended use will be before games, if needed.
   
   
2. Alcohol - Consuming anything more than a drink is also known to mess with circadian rhythms and reduce REM cycles (the most important part of your sleep cycle) when consumed before bed. I don’t drink often, but when I do it is in the evening and in relatively large quantities. This will not be allowed over the next 21 days to ensure the full effects of my new sleep schedule are felt.
   
   

Be sure to check back in 3 weeks from today to read about my progress. I will be lifting and running regularly and eating as healthy as possible. More experiments are also in the works for the future, let me know if you think there is something I should try.


P.S. - If I fail, at least I know I wasn’t alone. Other bloggers have tried and failed to successfully convert to a polyphasic sleep schedule and still took away some valuable information.