First, what exactly is polyphasic sleep? This is a distinct type of sleep from monophasic sleeping. We are all habituated to approximately seven consecutive hours of nighttime activity.
This is a result of our daylight lifestyle, not our nocturnal one. In addition, daylight work, daytime-only businesses, etc., have become the norm. Sleeping in a single phase, also known as monophasic, is more practicable in our current and predominant life rhythm.
Polyphasic sleep is unique. We will divide our sleep cycles into multiple phases instead of sleeping for seven hours (or more or less, depending on your requirements). For instance, sleep 30 minutes every four hours or four hours in the evening and four hours midday.
Most other animals share this sleeping pattern on our planet. A cat, a dog, or a coypu makes no difference. Why, then, not humans? We have adopted this sleeping pattern in the past. It was commonplace during the Middle Ages, particularly among the peasantry, but also during the time of the first males.
Pros and Cons of Polyphasic Sleep
However, modern lifestyles are no longer necessarily compatible with polyphasic sleep. In addition, despite its many benefits, it is not suitable for everyone.
| Advantages of Polyphasic Sleep | Disadvantages of polyphasic sleep |
| Ideal for night workers, polyphasic or rather biphasic sleep (in two phases) can be very useful to have a more restful sleep. | This is a very counter-intuitive sleep mode these days. As a result, it can be very difficult to set up at the beginning and to hold over time. |
| By dint of polyphasic sleep, your body gets used to getting to the most restorative sleep more quickly, which is the deep sleep phase. Eventually, you may therefore need fewer hours of sleep and therefore more time for your projects, for your family. | Polyphasic sleep has an obligatory impact on your private life, but it can also have an impact on your professional life. At first, you will be tired because you are not used to this sleeping pattern. This will impact your productivity. Also, sleeping at one time during the day can prevent you from having a fulfilling social life. |
| In the long run, you won’t even need an alarm clock and you’ll feel more rested, despite fewer sleep cycles. | Not everyone can sleep in several shifts, precisely because of the working time during the day. |
| It helps relieve sleep disorders such as insomnia by reducing the time it takes to fall asleep. | At first, you may feel foggy, not knowing what time it is, or being out of phase. |
How to Adopt it on a Daily Basis?
The initial implementation of polyphasic sleep can be extremely challenging. To accomplish this, it is ideal, to begin with biphasic sleep. For instance, four hours and four hours. Then, if desired, progressively take 20-minute rests throughout the day.
The initial stage is to determine how many sleep cycles you require. Begin by noting the time you go to bed, then estimate your unconscious time to determine when you fell asleep. Then, sleep normally for 6 to 9 hours, as you please. Notate the time that you awaken.
If you are in excellent condition, the amount of sleep was sufficient. Otherwise, you haven’t slept enough or too much, so repeat the procedure the next night.
Now count your sleep cycles; one sleep cycle lasts approximately 90 minutes. For instance, if you slept from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 a.m., you experienced five cycles of 90 minutes each. The objective is, therefore, to schedule these five cycles evenly throughout the day, such as two cycles in the morning and three cycles in the evening.
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