Polyphasic Sleep

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What is polyphasic sleep?

Polyphasic sleep is the practice of sleeping in numerous smaller blocks during the day as opposed to sleeping once as is common in many countries. The Siesta (popular in Spain), and Segmented (which was widespread before the advent of artificial lighting) sleep schedules are some of the earlier forms that polyphasic sleep has taken. In recent years, there has been an increased interest in this practice, and many other schedules have been developed with increasing research and experimentation. Sleeping polyphasically can:

  • Reduce the total sleep time required.
  • Eliminate chronic tiredness.
  • Help with insomnia.
  • Help many workers cope with their demanding schedules.
  • Improve overall sleep quality and quality of life. 

We have discovered certain principles over decades that help predict whether a person can adapt if they are disciplined for at least 1-2 months. Exceptions with long-lasting adaptations do exist, however! Healthy polyphasic sleep:

  • Retains a scientifically required amount of SWS, or “deep” sleep (for glymphatic clearing and cell renewal) and REM sleep (for memory and learning).
  • Reduces some non-essential light sleep.

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Research

The research on polyphasic sleep has been ongoing for some time, but it is still in the fledgling stage. Over the years, we have been able to gather quite a bit of relevant literature on this very unique lifestyle!

Check out these resources and our community effort. We deeply appreciate your time and effort in helping us conduct any future experiments!

Learn about all the different and wonderful alternate schedules, as well as the mechanics behind them! Selecting a suitable sleep schedule is key for optimal sleep. However, this varies from person to person depending on their circumstances. Read more

"I came across the polyphasic community in 2011, and have adapted to many schedules since. Amazingly, I feel even more well rested than sleeping a typical monophasic schedule. Additionally, I find that planning for naps forces me to structure my time. As a result, it is significantly easier to build good habits in numerous areas of my life. I have learned to incorporate napping into my routine without straining my social life, and have gained time, productivity, and alertness as a result."
Juan Taveras IV
Software Engineer
"I joined the community in 2018 out of curiosity. At the time I didn't know much about the topic or health in general. However, with the help of the very supportive community, I learnt a lot about my body, and tried a polyphasic schedule. Yet, the whole experience was one of the most challenging and thrilling things I have ever done. Discipline was a huge part of it, but it made me feel more awake than I'd ever felt with monophasic sleep. Polyphasic sleep also enabled me to experience lucid dreams, which were my favorite part of this exciting lifestyle."
Agna Lumi
Junior Programmer
"Years ago I adapted to Everyman 1 and I continue to follow it to this day. Having a full time job, polyphasic sleep allowed me to have a lot more time for self care and hobbies. It is achieved not only with additional time that you gain, but also by providing structure and discipline to each day. In addition, my productivity at work is increased because of the alertness and energy boost the nap in the middle of the day gives."
Sergey Kataev
Software Developer

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Discuss the alternate schedules, get advice on schedule selection and adaptation to get most out of the community social platforms.

The most active community with members eager to help beginning polyphasic sleepers.

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