Question

[LaGrange123]

I'm a student in high-school, and I was considering some of these different polyphasic sleep schedules--particularly the biphasic one and the everyman. But I am still a bit hesitant, for a few reasons: 1. I heard somewhere (possibly on this forum) that polyphasic sleep should be avoided when one has a lot going on intellectually ( i.e. school). And this would make some sense, as sleep is supposedly necessary to solidify memories and make connections among things one has learned during the day, etc. 2. I also heard that adolescents like myself who are still growing should stick to a monophasic schedule and wait a few years to give polyphasic sleep a try. I don't remember exactly what the reason was. I think it might have had to do with hormones or something. So basically, I'm looking for an answer to clear up these issues. Which schedule (either biphasic or everyman) is best suited to the needs of a student? Are there any other health concerns that I left out? If I find that neither works, then I'll probably just wait until I'm about 20 to give it another go. PS: I was also just a little curious as to why polyphasic sleep would help with lucid dreaming. I've heard a lot of talk about lucid dreaming in association with altered sleep patterns, and I was wondering how getting less sleep could possibly enhance your dreams. It doesn't seem to make much sense. Does it have to do with the idea behind WBTBs, or is that something totally different? Thanks in advance for all the help.

[tyrantt23]

Hi, first of all, I'm not an experienced polyphasic sleeper. I've never even tried it, so take my opinions with a grain of salt. Maybe they'll help answer your questions a bit though. 2. I also heard that adolescents like myself who are still growing should stick to a monophasic schedule and wait a few years to give polyphasic sleep a try. I don't remember exactly what the reason was. I think it might have had to do with hormones or something. I do know that our bones/muscle grow when we are asleep. This might have something to do with it. If a little kid tries polyphasic sleep, he or she might not get the sleep needed for bone and muscle growth. I don't know if this would be as serious for adolescents, but the reason might be in that ballpark. PS: I was also just a little curious as to why polyphasic sleep would help with lucid dreaming. I've heard a lot of talk about lucid dreaming in association with altered sleep patterns, and I was wondering how getting less sleep could possibly enhance your dreams. It doesn't seem to make much sense. Does it have to do with the idea behind WBTBs, or is that something totally different? I do know that once your body adapts to the polyphasic sleep schedule (the one where you sleep 15 minutes many times), that the 15 minute nap is only REM sleep. That is, it's a 15 minute nap of pure dream. I remember reading a few posts where the person would remember the dreams very vividly after waking up from each of the 15 minute naps. Now, this didn't happen until the body adapted to the polyphasic sleeping schedule. It is also one way to tell when your body did adapt to the polyphasic sleep. Thanks in advance for all the help. Like I said, I'm no expert, I just threw in a bit of information that I know. I hope it helps though.

[Zubin]

As someone who considers himself a teen body builder... I can tell you that I'm doing fine with my sleeping pattern both with body and mind. You may take a look at the link in my signature.