Placebo's Hexaphasic Journal

[Placebo]

NOTE: This journal is now obsolete, since I'm no longer doing hexaphasic, but a hybrid. See <here> My wife has convinced me to go uberman again. I'm uneasy about torturing myself again (for the first week or so), but gonna do my best. I actually started yesterday, but changed my mind 'cos my soundcard is broken and my internet is down. Got a new soundcard, and sorted out my ISP now. Status I started at 18:00 (GMT+2) today (18 April 2007). I've had 2 naps, and about to have a third. Obviously I'm not feeling a lot of effect yet. I worked up a sweat with interval training on the treadmill at about 18:30 to get back into some exercise. I had the last caffiene 'fix' for a while. The plan Most importantly, I'll be using my polyphasic mp3 (you can download it from http://www.placebo.serv.co.za) The best thing since sliced bread for polyphasic sleep. My nap times are 2, 6 and 10. Both am and pm, and each nap is 23 minutes exactly. With all the padding of settling down & up, it's usually around 25 minutes from start to end of my decision to nap. I'm going to try to eat fairly healthily, but more importantly, do some exercise again. I'm quite a lard ass, normally. The treadmill is going to be my easy 'fix' for that, but I'm going to be using the PS eyetoy kinetic as well (it's like a personal trainer that you don't have to pay an hourly rate for ) Eating well involves as little wheat, red meat and refined sugar as I can handle. Lots of fruit, veg & nuts. And I will try to avoid eating big meals, but rather go for smaller snacks. No caffiene - I'll be drinking rooibos tea. Activities will initially be pretty unproductive - anime, games, blogging and generally messing around. This is purely because I'm going to be struggling through the nights for a while. Once I'm settled, then I can get productive. When I feel up to it, I'll learn some more japanese, make some flash games and update old software projects. Then I'll be figuring out how to make some money after hours, without burning myself out. Logging & Tests Primarily, I'll be posting summaries every now and again about how I feel. That will be in this thread, and on my website (http://www.placebo.serv.co.za) which I have yet to put this all onto. But most polyphasers have absolutely no evidence of their attempt. I'd like to be a bit different there. First of all, I'm going to post a new reply in a separate thread called 'Placebo's boring log of naps' (or similar) for every nap I take. When I wake up, I'll edit it. This way I have an externally produced timestamp as evidence of when I took naps. Unfortunately this won't show that I didn't crash for an hour or two between naps... I'm not sure how to create evidence of this yet. I'm not at my PC 24/7 (almost, but not quite), so I can't just use an app to 'check' me. And hopefully I don't have too many times when the internet is down, etc. At least my wife can testify to my actions, and my doctor is also interested in polyphasic sleep. I'm going to make an appointment with him on the weekend, and I can discuss possibilities with him (for testing and verification) I don't have any mental or physical tests planned, but they might not be a bad idea. Problem is that they usually require a baseline reading, and it's a bit late for that. Any suggestions for how I could produce evidence are welcome, or suggestions for tests. As are questions.

[PenguinLord13]

I'm just curious, how many times have you gone on and off of polyphasic sleep so far? I know you have been experimenting for a while with it, and I wonder, does that first week get easier to do every time you restart hexaphasic sleeping? I doubt my schedule will allow it for the next few years (more acurately know it won't), but I will probably try it in college if my schedule allows.

[Placebo]

Well, I've halfheartedly started a couple of times. But if you only count serious attempts, perhaps 3 or 4 times. It's definitely easier, but it's still nowhere close to a picnic. There's a bit of danger in expecting it to be easy, and crumbling when it isn't. [Moved the rest of the post into the opening one]

[Spritely]

You know, I am truly quite stupid. I keep seeing your username on this board, Placebo, and think, "huh, that's very familiar, for some reason." I think I've figured it out: are you the bloke who created the polyphasic sleep soundtrack? If so, you are utterly cool. I used that throughout my Uberman attempt last fall, and it was extremely useful. Good luck with the Uberman! I'm rather quite jealous that your life permits you trying this. I won't have a flexible enough schedule to try again until next autumn. Oh well-- I'll watch you, and hopefully learn something.

[wendylove]

I'm skeptical off polyphasic sleepers as their is no proof of it working just people words. You would think one sleep expert would publish a peer science review on this.

[Placebo]

You know, I am truly quite stupid. I keep seeing your username on this board, Placebo, and think, "huh, that&#39;s very familiar, for some reason." I think I&#39;ve figured it out: are you the bloke who created the polyphasic sleep soundtrack? If so, you are utterly cool. I used that throughout my Uberman attempt last fall, and it was extremely useful. Good luck with the Uberman&#33; I&#39;m rather quite jealous that your life permits you trying this. I won&#39;t have a flexible enough schedule to try again until next autumn. Oh well-- I&#39;ll watch you, and hopefully learn something. [/b] Wow a fan Yep, that&#39;s me. Glad the mp3 helps you as much as it helps me. <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(wendylove)</div> I&#39;m skeptical off polyphasic sleepers as their is no proof of it working just people words. You would think one sleep expert would publish a peer science review on this.[/b] Uh, Dr Claudio Stampi? His job is to design polyphasic schedules for eg. solo yacht racers. He wrote a book &#39;Why we nap&#39;. As for &#39;it working&#39; there&#39;s many accounts of eg. solo yacht racers that have to use it. So at least on that level, it certainly works. And most sleep therapists hate the concept, as it doesn&#39;t fit gel well with existing knowledge of circadian rhythms, etc. Never stopped &#39;em solo yacht racers though. Or me.

[asher]

Uh, Dr Claudio Stampi? His job is to design polyphasic schedules for eg. solo yacht racers. He wrote a book 'Why we nap'.[/b] Book is out of print and I can't find it at Amazon or Powells. Do you have a copy Placebo? Seems like it might be a pretty dry read though. I found this paper about Yacht racing which mentions Stampi: http://www.educ.dab.uts.edu.au/utsdesign_l...tim_harrold.pdf From the article: 5.2.3 Monophasic vs polyphasic sleep Western culture is based entirely on a ‘monophasic’ sleep pattern; that is a single sleeping period of 6-9hrs every 24hr period (Klien 1999). Another option is a ‘polyphasic’ sleeping pattern where ‘catnaps’ of 15-20 minutes are taken regularly to maintain a total waking state of 19hrs comfortably every 24hrs, Dr Claudio Stampi is the world expert and pioneer of this technique and has been studying it for over 15 years. Stampi claims "Sleep charges your battery more at the beginning of the sleep cycle than at the end, so if you take more naps you are recharging more efficiently, because you take that first big charge frequently." It is believed by advocates of polyphasic sleep that after undergoing controlled sleep deprivation during an initial adjustment period, the brain will start to enter the essential sleep stages much more quickly, as a survival strategy. Once this adaptation is learned, a comfortable and sustainable equilibrium of sleeping in only naps can be established. Solo sailors have adopted this technique as de’rigeur to enable constant trimming of the yacht, Astronauts, pilots and military personnel also use this technique during extended crises. Civilian use of polyphasic pattern is unusual, but reportedly some of the most remarkable figures through history who have include; Buckminster Fuller, Thomas Jefferson and Leonardo DaVinci and Michelangelo.[/b] #asher

[Placebo]

Thanks for the snippet on the good doc, that should introduce everyone nicely. I don't have a copy of his book unfortunately, and I didn't realise it was out of print Like most books of it's kind, it would probably bore me to tears by repeating the same point over and over in a multitude of ways. But still, it's pretty much the only decent book on the subject. PS: Some of those famous figures in history that are claimed to have slept polyphasically are a bit controversial But we know that at least Bucky did - he has a pretty good diary of it.

[Spritely]

Bucky was incredibly hardcore. Steve Pavlina has a very good log of the few months he spent on a polyphasic schedule-- it was one of the most helpful things I came across when I was planning my own attempt. Steve may be a bit of a special case, though-- he seems to have fun playing games with his willpower and so on, where most people seem to dread even hearing that word. How is day two (or is it three) treating you so far, Placebo?

[wendylove]

Some of those famous figures in history that are claimed to have slept polyphasically are a bit controversial But we know that at least Bucky did - he has a pretty good diary of it.[/b] Buckminster Fuller did not sleep polyphasically he slept monophasically Only the biographers of Buckminster Fuller who I managed to get in touch with seem to confirm that his sleeping habits were quite unusual and that he experimented a lot with various sleeping patterns. In particular, while traveling and lecturing extensively, he would enter what he called a "dog sleep". That sleep, however, had nothing to do with polyphasic sleep. It was a sort of improvised mix of free-running sleep confounded by jet lag, meetings and deadlines. In other words, Bucky would catnap whenever he was tired and had an opportunity. However, if he could squeeze a sound 6 hours here and there, he would not miss the chance. This "dog sleep" did not fit any fixed alarm-clocked schedule. It was just a compromise between circadian rhythms and Bucky's hectic lifestyle.[/b] http://www.supermemo.com/articles/polyphasic.htm That my problem with polyphasic sleep as it seems like a bunch of myths and distortions of the truth. See their is no evidence only ancedotal evidence, which in my book is not evidence. The point is that even Buckminster biographer said he didn't sleep polyphasically, see polyphasic sleep seems to be a big myth surrounded by ignorance and not looking at the facts. All in all, the whole list of polyphasic geniuses seems to be lacking any credible evidence. As such it is probably a child of collective wishful thinking committed by those who would love to add waking hours to their day.[/b] http://www.supermemo.com/articles/polyphas...20for%20dummies

[Spritely]

'Polyphasic' doesn't necessarily have to mean 'strict Uberman.' Any schedule in which one sleeps more than once a day can be considered polyphasic. For a long time, there was nothing but anecdocal evidence to support the existence of lucid dreaming. Through research, scientists did manage to back up what lucid dreamers had known 'unscientifically' all along. If there's enough anecdocal evidence, eventually it will prompt lab studies on it. People like Placebo are, thus, helping. Yay science?

[wendylove]

For a long time, there was nothing but anecdocal evidence to support the existence of lucid dreaming. Through research, scientists did manage to back up what lucid dreamers had known 'unscientifically' all along. If there's enough anecdocal evidence, eventually it will prompt lab studies on it. People like Placebo are, thus, helping.[/b] Really poor argument as their is lots of thing science proved wrong. Let me say Hallucination in the past people thought hallucination were caused by demons now it would be stupid to believe this without evidence. Same is with ubersleep. The way ubersleep is going is the direction of photo reading and NLP.

[Placebo]

Lucid dreaming used to be considered unscientific and kooky. I don't care much for arguments about whether it works, as I've already DONE it before. What do I have to prove by arguing about something I've already experienced?

[Placebo]

How is day two (or is it three) treating you so far, Placebo?[/b] It's night two, midnight. I'm struggling a bit. Tempted to take an extra nap, but fighting the urge. Thanks for asking The last 24 hours has been mostly plain sailing. Although I have this annoying dry ichy throat sometimes when I nap, which causes me to cough and wake up. If it doesn't stop, I'm going to have to find medication for it. That's going to put a serious dent in my routine. I didn't have this the last time, so I don't think it's related to uberman at all Also, my eating and exercise is already suffering. Unfortunately, I'm cash strapped at the moment, and the only meat in the house is of the red kind Also, after my 10am nap today, someone made a cup of coffee for me. I couldn't exactly turn it down without causing some bad feelings. And then I get home, and I have a friend visiting us. I didn't get a chance to exercise. Now my wife is asleep, and I'd prefer not to wake her with the sounds of a stampede. Today was a pretty intense day at work, so I'm proud of myself for being able to hold up mentally, and get all my naps. I left work at about 8pm

[asher]

It's night two, midnight. I'm struggling a bit. Tempted to take an extra nap, but fighting the urge. Thanks for asking [/b] We're pulling for you Placebo! @wendylove: Anecdotal evidence can still be very strong, and the stories of people who have had to go polyphastic because of extreme completion (like the yacht race thing) seem like something you would be hard pressed to discount. Beyond that I think it's worth just seeing what people here at DV and elsewhere are trying and how that is working out. In the end alternate sleep patterns are just that: you could argue whether Bucky was truly polyphasic or not but clearly he was hacking his sleep patterns for benefit, which is what this is all about. #asher

[Spritely]

Sounds like you're keeping busy, which is probably good for staving off the urge to go sneak extra naps. Excess downtime seems to make sleepiness worse. Anyways, keep it up!

[PenguinLord13]

I'm skeptical off polyphasic sleepers as their is no proof of it working just people words. You would think one sleep expert would publish a peer science review on this.[/b] Like Placebo said, polyphasic sleep goes against everything that sleep experts "know" (and think they know), and therefore they will hate the idea as it is something weird and different. Also if you take a pool of people, almost all of them would not be able to/want to polyphasic sleep because it doesn't fit their schedule (that would be me) or they can't take the first couple weeks, or they are scared of trying it. Now take that pool of people who are willing to try it; most of these people are not bloggers who can/want to write all about their experiences online for other people to read, and even less of these people want to become lab rats, and be experimented on by scientists in a controlled experiment to see the effect of polyphasic sleep, so it would be very difficult to find enough people to study (and scientists interested in doing the study) to do a peer science review on it. Just because not all that many people have tried/succeeded with polyphasic sleep does not make it "wishful thinking", or "bogus". Saying that it is a bunch of bull shit without any physical evidence to back that up is far less scientifically correct than claiming it is possible without any evidence at all (there is anecdotal evidence, and even if that isn't great evidence, most likely, not everyone that claims to be polyphasically sleeping is a liar). Closed-mindedness and saying it is impossible without proof it what has killed and still does kill possible leaps in science, and it is far worse in my opinion than saying it is possible without "scientifically good" evidence.

[wendylove]

Like Placebo said, polyphasic sleep goes against everything that sleep experts "know" (and think they know), and therefore they will hate the idea as it is something weird and different.[/b] Well no as scientist looks for evidence and if their is evidence for polyphasic sleep they won't reject it. Plus a person doing this study would proberly get published and pubilicity from a popular journel as their study would say something profound about sleep. Just because not all that many people have tried/succeeded with polyphasic sleep does not make it "wishful thinking", or "bogus". Saying that it is a bunch of bull shit without any physical evidence to back that up is far less scientifically correct than claiming it is possible without any evidence at all (there is anecdotal evidence, and even if that isn't great evidence, most likely, not everyone that claims to be polyphasically sleeping is a liar). Closed-mindedness and saying it is impossible without proof it what has killed and still does kill possible leaps in science, and it is far worse in my opinion than saying it is possible without "scientifically good" evidence.[/b] Lots of people claim they have telekinesis it would be stupid to say they do if only you had was ancedotal evidence. See their is no scientific evidence for polyphasic sleep and in science the burden off proof is with the person making the claim, so it up to polyphasic sleepers to provide proof the same with people who say they have TK. If you ask me do I trust Placebo and other polyphasic sleepers ancedotal evidence, I would say no. Closed-mindedness and saying it is impossible without proof it what has killed and still does kill possible leaps in science, and it is far worse in my opinion than saying it is possible without "scientifically good" evidence.[/b] Science is about truth and truth is about proof, now it would be silly for scientist to believe something without proof as we would be dealing not with science, but with religion. Telekinesis is a good example I don't believe in TK as their is no evidence for it, however that doesn't stop me from trying to see if I have Tk powers. So in closing don't be so open minded that your brain falls out.

[Nathaniel]

HEY, I HAVE TELEKINESIS heh eh, anyways, I was about to start trying polyphasic sleep again the other day by first getting rid of my tendency to sleep at night. i planned on doing this by sleeping for a few hours just after sun down, then another few hours at dawn... then possibly taking another nap in the middle of my day. this didnt work the last 2 days because friends kept me up too late, then i slept for 11 hours . see, i think i need your help, placebo, because each time i've tried this i can't seem to get myself to stick to any specific scheduel. the last time i tried i'd planned on sleeping at 6 and 12 for one hour every am and pm... then i gave up... this time though i want to get a good scheduel going and actually hold out for 14 days minimum and see how i feel the next week without reverting. also, how can i MAKE myself get to sleep within a half hour... it often takes me that long just to get to sleep each night after my head hits the pillow..... also, how's the dreaming on uberman?

[Placebo]

wendylove - Nobody is asking you to believe me. I can't 'prove' it to you over the internet, and honestly I have no desire to. Polyphasic sleep has been previously documented and published by at least one doctor known to the scientific community. If that isn't good enough for you, then how can I possibly help? In any event, my journal is intended to document what I'm doing, not argue people's opinions on the existence of polyphasic sleep. Please get your own thread and stop cluttering mine with your unconstructive criticism. Thanks to everyone else for the support, it definitely helps to know people are watching. Status So far I've overslept by 30 minutes once, and found myself drifting off while watching an anime episode. My work hasn't been too badly affected by sleep deprivation so far and hopefully I'm recovering again by Monday. Challenges so far: - Bathing to equalise my body temperature. The nights are damn cold at the moment, so I need to warm up in the bath. Of course this leads me to fall asleep, so I've been waking myself with my cellphone's alarm snooze button - 5 minute intervals. You could perhaps see this as a cheat, but at least I don't get more than 5 minutes of sleep at a time. - My eyes are becoming more and more scratchy and irritable. They aren't red, but they feel like they should be. I have eyedrops to help out, and the 5 minute bath intervals help my eyes to relax. - I'm also finding that I have stronger physiological reactions to suprises - ie. my heart beats like a madman when scared, and I'm finding myself scared easier than usual. I noticed this before, but ignored it. Probably a side effect of sleep deprivation. - I don't have the cash to buy the right food for a healthy diet. Working on the problem.

[Placebo]

see, i think i need your help, placebo, because each time i've tried this i can't seem to get myself to stick to any specific scheduel.[/b] I'm not sure what I can do to help, other than offer advice. Mostly it just takes a lot of discipline to adapt to polyphasic sleep. You need to be able to decide to do something and not give yourself the option of backing out unless eg. you become dangerous to yourself or others. It helps to be a little masochistic - which I can be when I'm feeling stubborn about something. When it comes to friends, you need to tell them what you're experimenting with and insist that they help you by letting you get to bed when you need to. If they really are friends, they won't have a problem with it. They might think you're a nutter, but that's never bothered me. Friends and social events = The biggest reason for failure of polyphasic sleepers that get beyond the first week or two. Are you still in school? Younger people should be also keep in mind that growth hormones are likely to be affected by polyphasic sleep. also, how can i MAKE myself get to sleep within a half hour... it often takes me that long just to get to sleep each night after my head hits the pillow..... also, how's the dreaming on uberman? [/b] Um, I've never really had problems with this. There are times when I struggle to fall asleep immediately, but some relaxation techniques normally do the trick. Firstly look around the forums - I heard someone mention something about a technique to ensure you fall asleep within 10 minutes. Some relaxation techniques: - Lying down with your eyes closed, focus on your feet. Imagine them getting heavy like bags of sand. Relax any muscles in your feet. Then move on to your legs, butt, stomache, etc, until you reach your head and face. Don't forget your shoulders. Do this a few times, visualising heavier weights. - Clear your head. Try to think of nothing. Like a trance. But don't force each thought to stop, just acknowledge it and let the thought drift off, until you have no thoughts left. Just the sound of your breathing, or the darkness. In my case, the sound of my nap mp3. - Imagine you're on a spiralling staircase, going down. Keep walking down the stairs .. down further into unconsciousness. Let go. If you want to keep consciousness: - Count each half breath and visualise writing the number. Eg. '1'=breath in. 2=breath out. Keep going until at least 100. Start again and 1 if you feel you need to relax more. If you start losing track of your breathing, then just keep going at your own pace - it's good to lose sensation of your body. I struggle with that. - Imagine that you're lying on a raft in the ocean, eyes closed and lying down as you are in the bed. Take your time to feel the waves gently rocking the raft. Once you feel the scene strongly enough, get up and look around. You should be in a dream, but if you feel the dream isn't vivid enough, lie back on your raft and take more time.

[Nathaniel]

first off, advise is all the help i should need, and thanks alot for any given. anyways, im out of school right now and pretty well grown, so that won't be a problem in my attempt, but making money and being places im expected to be... might cause me to lose a little sleep. speaking of which, if i miss a nap here and there, will my body still regulate itself to the scheduel, as long as i dont crash, or oversleep? secondly those techniques you listed... the first one sounds like a variation of the meditation technique my dad once told me to try, though i like the idea of using weight instead of 'turning off' each part progressively. as far as clearing my mind of thoughts and 'decending' into unconsciousness goes, i've been having the problem of my mind busying itself with anything and everything recently. it'll even play music and all kinds of garbage seemingly just to keep me from getting into a deep meditation or attempting to WILD... im starting to think, as some do, that the subconscious would try to thwart these attempts for some odd reason. but seriously, how's the dreaming on polyphasic? im far from an experienced lucid dreamer, and had it in mind to use this to jumpstart my concerted efforts in that area. the plan was to have a WILD for the duration of my naptimes... any thoughts on that?

[Placebo]

Forgive me if my post below isn't very well written - I'm struggling to focus atm. Really struggling to keep my eyes open. if i miss a nap here and there, will my body still regulate itself to the scheduel, as long as i dont crash, or oversleep?[/b] It's possible, but very risky. Missing a nap can't be done every eg. second day for example. You could always throw an extra nap or two in there to try catch up again. But the schedule isn't particularly flexible, you can't miss naps too often. And while you're still adapting to the schedule - forget about missing naps or postponing them. It's important to get it right properly to adapt to it. it'll even play music and all kinds of garbage seemingly just to keep me from getting into a deep meditation or attempting to WILD... im starting to think, as some do, that the subconscious would try to thwart these attempts for some odd reason.[/b] I have the same thing at times. It just takes practice to make it stop. Don't force it, just try to derail it or ignore it. As for the subconscious stopping WILDs - this is a common finding. From a survival point of view, your body is designed to switch off consciousness when you sleep. This to allow parts of your brain to relax and recover, that otherwise would be too busy because of sensory input. Your body isn't happy about overriding your natural disposition to be unconscious, because it's against the genetic 'training' it has. This doesn't mean lucid dreaming is dangerous - your sensory input is still shut off - but deep down most people aren't naturally adapted to lucid dreams. The other thing is - you might strongly believe that your subconscious will attempt to thwart you. This in itself can cause it to happen. but seriously, how's the dreaming on polyphasic? im far from an experienced lucid dreamer, and had it in mind to use this to jumpstart my concerted efforts in that area. the plan was to have a WILD for the duration of my naptimes... any thoughts on that?[/b] I've mentioned this before, but I'll repeat it anyway. In my case, polyphasing is great for WILDs. However, either I suck at WILDs, or the quality of the nap WILDs isn't as vivid and engrossing as your average dream induced LD. But if you're struggling to LD, being able to WILD easily would be a bonus. Don't forget the cost though - sadistic and torturous adaptation to a crazy sleep schedule.

[Placebo]

Dammit. I crashed. I napped at 1:50am, and woke up at 6:50am with my disconnected mp3 player in my hand. My fault I guess - I never used my cellphone as an alarm. Bugger!! I really was struggling, so I'm not suprised I crashed, but if only I hadn't forgotten the extra alarm. Dammit Dammit Dammit. Well I'm not stopping - just going to keep going. I also have a sore throat. I hope that's just from sleeping on the floor for 5 hours and not the cause of this (illness) Recap of what I did before I crashed: I went to a friends house, had a single glass of wine and chicken ala king. Napped in the car at 21:48, felt incredibly tired afterwards. Got home, struggled until 01:50 and napped. And woke up 5 hours later. Perhaps the wine? Perhaps my sore throat means I'm sick? Perhaps I just steadily grew too sleep deprived and wasn't careful enough with alarm.

[Spritely]

Urk, mechanical failures like the disconnected mp3 player, or setting your alarm clock wrong, are incredibly frustrating. (Says the queen of the patented 'set the timer, forget to press START, and sleep for three hours by accident' technique.) Using two alarms definately helps. If possible, when I do my next run, I'm going to see if I can ask some non-sleep deprived person to check that my alarms are set correctly before I go to sleep. I could avoid repeating so many mistakes that way. Keep it up! You've been doing well so far, don't let this throw you. It's a silly question, perhaps, but are you drinking enough water and taking vitamins? They might not do much, especially if you're already sick, but it doesn't hurt your body, either.