I know people, and indeed, get like this myself sometimes (though not as often as I used to), who will have natural cycles in which they are awake for hours on

I know people, and indeed, get like this myself sometimes (though not as often as I used to), who will have natural cycles in which they are awake for hours on end and sleep only 1 or 2 out of every 24. But even for those who seem to be naturally wired to do so, it only lasts for a few days before either their body or their mind needs sleep so badly that they a) fall asleep in the case of physical exhaustion, or b) must take sleeping aids to force themselves back into a normal pattern so they can think clearly again. Polyphasic sleep sounds good in theory. In practice, well, there's a reason why sleep deprivation is used as a form of torture.