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It's good to see the other side of the early riser fad (which isn't really a fad. If you think it started in 2006 with Steve Pavlina, you need to read more Ben

It's good to see the other side of the early riser fad (which isn't really a fad. If you think it started in 2006 with Steve Pavlina, you need to read more Benjamin Franklin). On balance, waking up early seems better than waking up late, but there are real consequences to waking up really early, and not all of them are good. Unfortunately, the internet can be a confirmation bias echo chamber, leading those who actually try waking up early on their own wondering "is it just me". No, it's not "just you" if: - None of the clever tricks successfully "train" you to get up earlier - You're up, but are mentally incapable of doing anything other than staring at the wall or browsing reddit - Even after several days, you haven't really seen that mythical burst of energy and mental clarity everyone talks about - You do enjoy having those hours before anyone else wakes up to get some work done, but it doesn't seem to matter because you're out like a light at 8:45PM instead of your normal 11:30PM - 1:00AM range - You get hungry at really weird times that seem out of sync with everyone else - The 4PM nappy time feeling turns into a 3:30PM coma time mandate - You don't think you can "tough it out" for weeks at a time just because you've been reassured that "your body, family, and friends will get used to it" I'm not saying that getting up early is a bad idea or that you won't benefit from it. I just think it can be damaging to have all this ra-ra self-help guru stuff all over the web that turns to incredible loneliness when you actually try it out (because no one on those forums seems to be having any of your problems).

gurkendoktor 14y ago
> because no one on those forums seems to be having any of your problems My most enlightening online experience is probably hanging out in #polyphasers for a while. It's a tiny echo chamber full of people trying überman sleep and similar sleep rhythms without any success (in the time I've been there). Yet everyone only blames themselves for not having enough discipline. (Not implying that early rising is as dubious as überman sleep, and even the latter has its use cases for a day or two.)
- ValG 14y ago
  I would be surprised if anyone actually manages to achieve true uberman sleep. Not only is it very difficult, it's also pretty bad for you. Despite all the talk to the contrary, it's not to you benefit to try to squeeze all of your REM sleep into 20minute sessions, and your body does need the other stages as well. Even if you were able to get to uberman some how, I don't think you could last for more than a week or 2 before you crash. When you consider the "fact" that it takes 10 days for your body to adjust to uberman (and those 10 days you are essentially a zombie), I don't think it's worth it. I don't think that would convince anyone in #polyphasers, but my 2 cents from a medical perspective (I've discussed this with several doctors, including sleep experts). What is interesting, gurkendoktor, are the observations you're doing. I'm curious, what do you make of the actual productivity of people trying to game sleep? Are they hyperproductive and want more time, or are they constant time wasters that think uberman will solve all their problems? or is it a mix?
  - gurkendoktor 14y ago
    Sorry - I should've written "was", not "is" :) I've left the channel quite a while ago. I remember that most people were blogging and graphing their progress; at least that's all we talked about. I could do some very light coding but nothing that required more than 10 minutes of focus. That said, at least people weren't sticking to überman religiously- everyone seemed to drift towards a longer "core sleep" with a few naps during the day.
pawelwentpawel 14y ago
I don't really see waking up early as a "life hack" that you need to train yourself to perform on regular basis. I simply activate my intergalactic ear plugs and make a general announcement (unfortunately I live with night owls) - good night everybody, the one to wake me up will be defenestrated and that's it. I'd rather be fully aware and productive at 5am than keep my brain up with infinite stream of coffee in the middle of a night.
dllthomas 14y ago
- You're up, but are mentally incapable of doing anything other than staring at the wall or browsing reddit On my ideal schedule, which I don't hit all the time but have sustained for a while, I get up at 5:20 to exercise. When I first wake, I'm usually not capable of much mentally but I don't need to be to do something much more useful than staring at the wall or browsing reddit.
city41 14y ago
But in my defense, my two posts were not "rara self help guru" posts. Just me reporting on an experiment I did. I don't know the ideal answer here. But I like to see people trying things.

gurkendoktor 14y ago

> because no one on those forums seems to be having any of your problems My most enlightening online experience is probably hanging out in #polyphasers for a while. It's a tiny echo chamber full of people trying überman sleep and similar sleep rhythms without any success (in the time I've been there). Yet everyone only blames themselves for not having enough discipline. (Not implying that early rising is as dubious as überman sleep, and even the latter has its use cases for a day or two.)

ValG 14y ago
I would be surprised if anyone actually manages to achieve true uberman sleep. Not only is it very difficult, it's also pretty bad for you. Despite all the talk to the contrary, it's not to you benefit to try to squeeze all of your REM sleep into 20minute sessions, and your body does need the other stages as well. Even if you were able to get to uberman some how, I don't think you could last for more than a week or 2 before you crash. When you consider the "fact" that it takes 10 days for your body to adjust to uberman (and those 10 days you are essentially a zombie), I don't think it's worth it. I don't think that would convince anyone in #polyphasers, but my 2 cents from a medical perspective (I've discussed this with several doctors, including sleep experts). What is interesting, gurkendoktor, are the observations you're doing. I'm curious, what do you make of the actual productivity of people trying to game sleep? Are they hyperproductive and want more time, or are they constant time wasters that think uberman will solve all their problems? or is it a mix?
- gurkendoktor 14y ago
  Sorry - I should've written "was", not "is" :) I've left the channel quite a while ago. I remember that most people were blogging and graphing their progress; at least that's all we talked about. I could do some very light coding but nothing that required more than 10 minutes of focus. That said, at least people weren't sticking to überman religiously- everyone seemed to drift towards a longer "core sleep" with a few naps during the day.

pawelwentpawel 14y ago

I don't really see waking up early as a "life hack" that you need to train yourself to perform on regular basis. I simply activate my intergalactic ear plugs and make a general announcement (unfortunately I live with night owls) - good night everybody, the one to wake me up will be defenestrated and that's it. I'd rather be fully aware and productive at 5am than keep my brain up with infinite stream of coffee in the middle of a night.

dllthomas 14y ago

- You're up, but are mentally incapable of doing anything other than staring at the wall or browsing reddit On my ideal schedule, which I don't hit all the time but have sustained for a while, I get up at 5:20 to exercise. When I first wake, I'm usually not capable of much mentally but I don't need to be to do something much more useful than staring at the wall or browsing reddit.

city41 14y ago

But in my defense, my two posts were not "rara self help guru" posts. Just me reporting on an experiment I did. I don't know the ideal answer here. But I like to see people trying things.