3 ms·

What data are you talking about? As far as I know it seems that polyphasic is a popular hoax, just as 'we use only 10% of our brain power' - popular but fake. D

by rednum 15y ago

What data are you talking about? As far as I know it seems that polyphasic is a popular hoax, just as 'we use only 10% of our brain power' - popular but fake. Dr Piotr Wozniak, who seems to know a bit about sleep deals with it in few articles on his site. Also most first-hand reports I've read (sorry for no links, I can dig into my history later) usually ended up in people saying they are tired and rationalizing why do they go back to normal pattern (ie. many people had problems admitting that they failed).

ColinWright 15y ago
For "data" in the above read "many, many stories from a wide range of people, some of whom claim it works." I recently read someone's report of using polyphasic sleep for multiple years. Don't know where, can't spend the time. You're saying that no one has ever switched permanently to it. I'm saying people sometimes say they switched back out because of issues other than the sleep. When I ran on a week of 6x28 hour days I felt better, but I couldn't sustain it because of the constant time shifts relative to "normal" people. When I slept four times a week I got a lot more done, and generally felt better, but in the end I got a job that wouldn't support the timing issues it caused. I'd just like to know the truth.
- scott_s 15y ago
  Polyphasic sleep has been discussed extensively here. http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=652650 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=652650 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1464142 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1464142 To quote Indiana Jones, if you want the truth, go to the Philosophy department. But the evidence indicates the various kinds of polyphasic sleep discussed in those threads is a terrible idea.
  - stcredzero 15y ago
    Philosophy department? I don't know if the odds are so good for getting the truth, as opposed to the odds of getting the ability to greatly impress a certain fraction of the populace while talking around the truth.
    - scott_s 15y ago
      I think that's what the line is hinting at: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097576/quotes?qt=qt0357889 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097576/quotes?qt=qt0357889
- rednum 15y ago
  6x28h doesn't seems unreasonable to me (but it seems that daylight could be an issue), I wouldn't call it polyphasic however - for me this term covers multiple naps of 30min during one day. My point was that I didn't recall any accounts that this worked good for someone, and I did some googling (since I considered trying it myself when I first heard about it).
  - ColinWright 15y ago
    No, it's not polyphasic, but it's a "non-traditional sleep pattern" and it shows that there are such things that genuinely do work. Polyphasic is a potential extreme example, and people claim it doesn't work (although some still say it does) Where is the boundary? What really is possible? Anyone who actually knows, isn't saying. I suspect no one knows.
- deleted 15y ago
  [deleted]
jmilloy 15y ago
Only data I've found is _Why We Nap_ (ISBN 0-8176-3462-2) Out of print, but you can find a pdf online. http://sleepwarrior.com/Claudio_Stampi_-_Why_We_Nap.pdf http://sleepwarrior.com/Claudio_Stampi_-_Why_We_Nap.pdf
fourk 15y ago
Scientific American - Frontiers episode 105, 'Catching Capnaps' - Involves a 49 day research experiment into polyphasic sleep Notable individuals who have adapted to polyphasic schedules: Steve Pavlina, a self help blogger, maintained the schedule for ~6 months. Giancarlo Sbragia - Italian actor, one of the first to follow the equihexaphasic (6x30m/24hr) schedule that most people are actually referring to when they say polyphasic sleep. Blogger Puredoxyc - Seemingly responsible for bringing the idea of polyphasic sleep into attention on the web, responsible for the "Uberman Schedule" term for an equihexaphasic schedule. I think you're mostly correct in implying that very little data exists as far as real research on polyphasic sleep goes. However, there's a lot of relevant data in research under topic headings like sleep deprivation, circadian rhythms, and extreme sleep disorders. For a particularly fascinating extreme sleep disorder, take a look at http://www.economist.com/node/12253173?story_id=12253173 http://www.economist.com/node/12253173?story_id=12253173

by rednum 15y ago

ColinWright 15y ago

For "data" in the above read "many, many stories from a wide range of people, some of whom claim it works." I recently read someone's report of using polyphasic sleep for multiple years. Don't know where, can't spend the time. You're saying that no one has ever switched permanently to it. I'm saying people sometimes say they switched back out because of issues other than the sleep. When I ran on a week of 6x28 hour days I felt better, but I couldn't sustain it because of the constant time shifts relative to "normal" people. When I slept four times a week I got a lot more done, and generally felt better, but in the end I got a job that wouldn't support the timing issues it caused. I'd just like to know the truth.

scott_s 15y ago
Polyphasic sleep has been discussed extensively here. http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=652650 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=652650 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1464142 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1464142 To quote Indiana Jones, if you want the truth, go to the Philosophy department. But the evidence indicates the various kinds of polyphasic sleep discussed in those threads is a terrible idea.
- stcredzero 15y ago
  Philosophy department? I don't know if the odds are so good for getting the truth, as opposed to the odds of getting the ability to greatly impress a certain fraction of the populace while talking around the truth.
  - scott_s 15y ago
    I think that's what the line is hinting at: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097576/quotes?qt=qt0357889 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097576/quotes?qt=qt0357889
rednum 15y ago
6x28h doesn't seems unreasonable to me (but it seems that daylight could be an issue), I wouldn't call it polyphasic however - for me this term covers multiple naps of 30min during one day. My point was that I didn't recall any accounts that this worked good for someone, and I did some googling (since I considered trying it myself when I first heard about it).
- ColinWright 15y ago
  No, it's not polyphasic, but it's a "non-traditional sleep pattern" and it shows that there are such things that genuinely do work. Polyphasic is a potential extreme example, and people claim it doesn't work (although some still say it does) Where is the boundary? What really is possible? Anyone who actually knows, isn't saying. I suspect no one knows.
deleted 15y ago
[deleted]

jmilloy 15y ago

Only data I've found is _Why We Nap_ (ISBN 0-8176-3462-2) Out of print, but you can find a pdf online. http://sleepwarrior.com/Claudio_Stampi_-_Why_We_Nap.pdf http://sleepwarrior.com/Claudio_Stampi_-_Why_We_Nap.pdf

fourk 15y ago

Scientific American - Frontiers episode 105, 'Catching Capnaps' - Involves a 49 day research experiment into polyphasic sleep Notable individuals who have adapted to polyphasic schedules: Steve Pavlina, a self help blogger, maintained the schedule for ~6 months. Giancarlo Sbragia - Italian actor, one of the first to follow the equihexaphasic (6x30m/24hr) schedule that most people are actually referring to when they say polyphasic sleep. Blogger Puredoxyc - Seemingly responsible for bringing the idea of polyphasic sleep into attention on the web, responsible for the "Uberman Schedule" term for an equihexaphasic schedule. I think you're mostly correct in implying that very little data exists as far as real research on polyphasic sleep goes. However, there's a lot of relevant data in research under topic headings like sleep deprivation, circadian rhythms, and extreme sleep disorders. For a particularly fascinating extreme sleep disorder, take a look at http://www.economist.com/node/12253173?story_id=12253173 http://www.economist.com/node/12253173?story_id=12253173