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I tried this during college, and nearly ended up hospitalized from hallucinations and a mini seizure. My sleep cycle was ruined for a year. I had to pay around

by MollyR 11y ago

I tried this during college, and nearly ended up hospitalized from hallucinations and a mini seizure. My sleep cycle was ruined for a year. I had to pay around a thousand usd for a sleep study, and had to see a sleep specialist for a year. He told me I was pretty lucky, if I tried it any longer I could have gotten permanent brain damage. He was suspicious of polyphasic claims, because he often saw people use modafinil in conjunction with this(especially among lawyers). Maybe some people are genetically predisposed to this form of sleeping, but running experiments on yourself may not be worth it.

colund 11y ago
It's fascination how people who consider themselves smart put themselves in dangerous situations which sound and humble people would never even consider.
- MollyR 11y ago
  The pressure (asian parents) and competition for grades and jobs got the better of me. I felt desperate and overloaded. Looking back, it's seems ridiculous, but only because I have a job. I can't imagine what its like to have a ton of student debt and no job.
rubicon33 11y ago
You should look up the popular YouTuber & tech CEO "Casey Neistat". He proclaims in his daily vlog, to regularly getting 4-5 hours of sleep. On top of that, he runs 8-14 miles (at a sub 8 minute pace), nearly every day. On top of that, he has a new born, and just launched a thriving tech company - Beme. I saw a post somewhere that suggested he is likely using modafinil. I wonder how many of these uber-successful people, are using modafinil to shorten their sleep cycle?
- geoelectric 11y ago
  4-5 hours of sleep as a typical habit isn't that rare, unfortunately.
  - rubicon33 11y ago
    I guess I don't understand how that's sustainable. I can do it for a couple of days, maybe a week. Beyond that, and my performance both physically and mentally takes a large hit. I guess it's possible that some people are blessed with super-human energy levels. It's more likely that they're on something.
    - AstralStorm 11y ago
      The real question though is whether this affects their memory, reflexes and immune system. Former is reasonably simple to test, latter requires a longer study. The problem is placebo control, which of impossible, and required monitoring to detect microsleeps and oversleeping. You would need a control group, group with day, forced 8h sleep both biphasic and monophasic, and a group on this fancy multiphasic schedule. Expensive to run.
    - geoelectric 11y ago
      Well, peoples' need for sleep does vary, but I do suspect it affects them, whether they know it or not. Caffeine is a hell of a drug too.
- spotman 11y ago
  4-5 hours is adequate for many people. Myself being one of them. I don't take any uppers besides coffee and find 4-5 is ideal and 6-7 makes me groggy if I can even accomplish that. Usually after 5 hours of sleep I wake up with no alarm clock wide awake.
  - rubicon33 11y ago
    Do you also run 8-12 miles every day at a sub 8 minute pace, run a fledgling technology company, and have a new born child? Well, even if you don't, you're still damn lucky to have that kind of energy.
    - spotman 11y ago
      no, but I am a co-founder of a fitness startup, and try to get a lot of exercise! 8-12 miles is more than I do, and I do not have a kid.
      - rubicon33 11y ago
        I'm pretty intrigued by anyone who can honestly perform on 4-5 hours of sleep, night after night after night. To what do you attribute this ability? Have you always been a short-sleeper? Is it something you've worked toward? Is age a factor? Diet?
        spotman 11y ago
        I'm not sure if ability is the right word but maybe? I know several people like this, my gut tells me it's not super uncommon. It was not always like this , but the older I get the less sleep I seem to need. In my 20s would feel groggy on 5 hours of sleep, but in my 30s ( current age ) I feel groggy if I get more than 5 hours sleep. I haven't been able to "sleep in" since I was probably 15 or 16. Some people probably call this being a morning person, to over simplify it heavily. Edit: if you do some light googling there is a substantial anoint of data on the internet that claims 8 hours of sleep is too much and 6 is closer to ideal for full grown adults. So getting 4-5 and a healthy dose of exercise does not seem in the realm of supernatural to me. Give it a shot! ( don't leave out the exercise either )

by MollyR 11y ago

colund 11y ago

It's fascination how people who consider themselves smart put themselves in dangerous situations which sound and humble people would never even consider.

MollyR 11y ago
The pressure (asian parents) and competition for grades and jobs got the better of me. I felt desperate and overloaded. Looking back, it's seems ridiculous, but only because I have a job. I can't imagine what its like to have a ton of student debt and no job.

rubicon33 11y ago

You should look up the popular YouTuber & tech CEO "Casey Neistat". He proclaims in his daily vlog, to regularly getting 4-5 hours of sleep. On top of that, he runs 8-14 miles (at a sub 8 minute pace), nearly every day. On top of that, he has a new born, and just launched a thriving tech company - Beme. I saw a post somewhere that suggested he is likely using modafinil. I wonder how many of these uber-successful people, are using modafinil to shorten their sleep cycle?

geoelectric 11y ago
4-5 hours of sleep as a typical habit isn't that rare, unfortunately.
- rubicon33 11y ago
  I guess I don't understand how that's sustainable. I can do it for a couple of days, maybe a week. Beyond that, and my performance both physically and mentally takes a large hit. I guess it's possible that some people are blessed with super-human energy levels. It's more likely that they're on something.
  - AstralStorm 11y ago
    The real question though is whether this affects their memory, reflexes and immune system. Former is reasonably simple to test, latter requires a longer study. The problem is placebo control, which of impossible, and required monitoring to detect microsleeps and oversleeping. You would need a control group, group with day, forced 8h sleep both biphasic and monophasic, and a group on this fancy multiphasic schedule. Expensive to run.
  - geoelectric 11y ago
    Well, peoples' need for sleep does vary, but I do suspect it affects them, whether they know it or not. Caffeine is a hell of a drug too.
spotman 11y ago
4-5 hours is adequate for many people. Myself being one of them. I don't take any uppers besides coffee and find 4-5 is ideal and 6-7 makes me groggy if I can even accomplish that. Usually after 5 hours of sleep I wake up with no alarm clock wide awake.
- rubicon33 11y ago
  Do you also run 8-12 miles every day at a sub 8 minute pace, run a fledgling technology company, and have a new born child? Well, even if you don't, you're still damn lucky to have that kind of energy.
  - spotman 11y ago
    no, but I am a co-founder of a fitness startup, and try to get a lot of exercise! 8-12 miles is more than I do, and I do not have a kid.
    - rubicon33 11y ago
      I'm pretty intrigued by anyone who can honestly perform on 4-5 hours of sleep, night after night after night. To what do you attribute this ability? Have you always been a short-sleeper? Is it something you've worked toward? Is age a factor? Diet?
      - spotman 11y ago
        I'm not sure if ability is the right word but maybe? I know several people like this, my gut tells me it's not super uncommon. It was not always like this , but the older I get the less sleep I seem to need. In my 20s would feel groggy on 5 hours of sleep, but in my 30s ( current age ) I feel groggy if I get more than 5 hours sleep. I haven't been able to "sleep in" since I was probably 15 or 16. Some people probably call this being a morning person, to over simplify it heavily. Edit: if you do some light googling there is a substantial anoint of data on the internet that claims 8 hours of sleep is too much and 6 is closer to ideal for full grown adults. So getting 4-5 and a healthy dose of exercise does not seem in the realm of supernatural to me. Give it a shot! ( don't leave out the exercise either )