Thread: Starting the Everyman Sleep Schedule

Hell yeah what you are doing is awesome. Good luck =D

Originally Posted by Cory The Great

Hell yeah what you are doing is awesome. Good luck =D

Thanks


1-6-10 (day 17)
Morning stats:
weight-122.8
BF-20.1
blood pressure-108/64
pulse-73
reaction time-0.2830

Evening stats:
blood pressure-114/65
pulse-87
reaction time-0.3324

0:00-4:40
Nooooo.... I woke up, remember starting to get up, then...I was still lying there and it was almost 5:00. I felt like I hadn't fallen back asleep, and I only convinced myself that's what had happened because I didn't remember anything.

8:00-8:20
Pretty awake for this nap (not unexpected, considering the oversleep). Still some trouble staying awake for the waking period afterwards, though.

14:30-14:50
Tired; fell asleep really easily. I read about a technique someone used where they listened to different pieces of music for the different periods of sleep time; after a while, this acts as a cue to the body to how long the sleep period is going to be, so it's prepared for that amount of time rather than getting confused. I decided to try something like this. I didn't want to listen to music the whole time while asleep, and I wanted to keep using my cell phone alarm (if only because I'm used to it), so I started using a couple pieces I composed which are just over a minute long; one for 20 minute naps, and the other for the 3 hour core sleep. We'll see how this works out!

Also, I need to work on my wake-up strategy. Half the time that I oversleep, it's because I woke up perfectly fine, then went back to bed! My naps are never a problem... so maybe if I train myself to jump out of bed after those, I'll be able to do the same after core.

18:00-18:20
Early nap due to orchestra practice starting up again. I'm not totally adjusted yet, so I've been trying to be really strict about my nap schedule... but I figured it wouldn't be too bad to shift this one nap. So, I was slightly less tired than usual before the nap and got tired a little sooner afterwards, but it still wasn't hard to fall asleep and stay awake when needed.

1-7-10 (day 18)
Morning stats:
weight-122.4
BF-19.3
blood pressure-107/65
pulse-69
reaction time-0.2770

Evening stats:
blood pressure-106/65
pulse-74
reaction time-0.2986

0:00-4:40
Yet another oversleep. I'm hoping these will start happening less frequently. This time I just slept right through the alarm, as far as I can tell.

8:00-8:20
Had a clear dream about a caterpillar crawling around on the wall of my room, which I found disturbing. I actually almost became lucid, because I started thinking about how this was just like the dreams I've been having lately and how strange it was to have a caterpillar on my wall... Unfortunately, I rationalized that there are occasionally small worm-like creatures which build cocoons on my wall to turn into moths (this part is actually true in waking life, which is probably closely related to the strange bug-on-a-wall dreams). It felt like the dream took place towards the beginning of the nap, because I didn't remember it right after waking.

14:30-14:50
Good nap. Remembered upon waking to get out of bed quickly. About an hour later, I was suddenly taken by the urge to cook something for dinner (I don't cook much beyond instant mac & cheese, most the time). It took me until my next nap to edit the recipe (I like to personalize recipes), get the ingredients from the store, and begin preparing.

19:00-19:20
One of the few times it took me a while to fall asleep. I was perfectly wiling to stay in bed when the alarm went of, though. It was only through a burst of conviction that I got myself out of bed quickly. Getting up soon so that I'm more active and don't fall back asleep makes perfect sense in theory, but right after waking up, it seems downright irrational. I answer my automatic question of "Why can't I just lay here a little while...maybe with my eyes closed..." with a "Because I said so...before...I forget why now, but just do it!" Cooked dinner immediately after nap, which took me until abot 21:30.

1-8-10 (day 19)
Morning stats:
weight-122.6
BF-20
blood pressure-109/56
pulse-68
reaction time-0.3434

Evening stats:
blood pressure-105/60
pulse-74
reaction time-0.3044

0:00-3:00
Woke up on time and fairly easily. I think I also had some dreams.

8:00-8:20
Had tons of dreams during this nap. Woke up once or twice

14:30-14:50
It was difficult staying awake until this nap, but I felt a lot better afterwards. I still find it very strange that I'll literally feel normal when walking around, then the instant I do certain other activities, I feel like I might fall asleep if I close my eyes for more than five seconds. I think it has less to do with how much of the different types of activities I'm doing as which type I did last; After walking around with my mom (before the 14:30 nap), we sat down to eat and I was actually able to relax and think clearly and felt like I had a sufficient amount of energy.

Then, I tried reading (for the first time since starting Everyman). Even though I found the topic really interesting, I was suddenly tired again after five minutes. Even after I stopped reading, I was still just as tired. It's like flipping a switch, then staying in the same mode until the switch is flipped back. Perhaps this is showing the effects of using different parts of the brain while somewhat sleep deprived. (I don't think the sleep dep. is as bad as it was, but hopefully it will go away completely within the next couple weeks).

19:00-19:20
Woke up two or three times during the nap, but I still felt refreshed afterwards. The periods of awake time before and after this nap seem to be the the closest to me feeling "normal".

1-9-10 (day 20)
(I wrote my stats down...somewhere. Will post them soon.)

0:00-3:00
Woke up on time, luckily. It definitely makes a big difference when I wake up earlier; when I oversleep, the extra time in the very early morning doesn't have as strong an effect...although it's always interesting.

8:00-8:20
Good nap; I think I had dreams. Still the most tired between this nap and the following one.

14:30-14:50
Fell asleep really quickly. Had a hard time waking up, but became somewhat more alert after a while.

19:00-19:20
Nap went smoothly. Felt pretty good afterwards. Went out to dinner and I had some caffine, which I shouldn't have done. Started drinking a bunch of water to help flush it out. The good news is, I'm usually don't seem to be affected by caffine too much.


1-10-10 (day 21)
0:00-4:00
I know I woke up at 3:00 and started to get up...but I think I didn't quite make it to sitting position. I woke up at 4:00 with sore knees and arms because I'd fallen asleep on my stomach in a funny way.

8:00-8:20
Nap went well, although I kept wanting to sleep longer. I did fall asleep just after 9:00. Luckily, I woke up after five or ten minutes.

14:30-14:50
This one seemed to go by really fast. Actually had a little bit of trouble falling asleep, for once.

19:20-19:40
Slightly late coming home. It was a toss up between taking the nap in the car (my roomate was driving), and having it later, so I took it a little later. I felt pretty "normal" after about five minutes of waking.

1-11-10 (day 22)
Morning stats:
weight-122.8
BF-19.6
blood pressure-122/66
pulse-63
reaction time-0.2736

Evening stats:
blood pressure-117/63
pulse-59
reaction time-0.2966

0:00-3:00
Slept soundly, as usual, and got up on time with some difficulty. Kept myself busy with stuff like alphabetizing our DVDs.

8:00-9:10
Oversleep. Woke up after the 20 minute nap as if no time had passed. It literally felt like I had closed my eyes for less than a couple seconds, then opened them 20 minutes later. In my sleepy state, I decided to take an extra five minutes, and set my cell phone to go off accordingly. I might have done this once more after that, but in any case, I slept through one of the alarms and woke up at 9:10. Guess I can come up with some pretty stupid rationalizations right after waking up I need to get really serious about the getting out of bed right away idea. It may be less about tricking myself and more about will power, in this case; even when I was rationalizing, I remembered that I planned on getting up right away.

14:30-14:50
Stayed awake pretty well, for once. Was actually a bit surprised 14:30 came so soon. Nap went well.

19:00-19:20
Fell asleep easily and woke up without feeling tired.

1-12-10 (day 23)
Morning stats:
weight-122.6
BF-19.4
blood pressure-112/56
pulse-64
reaction time-0.3106

Evening stats:
blood pressure-118/55
pulse-77
reaction time-0.2938

0:00-3:00
Think I had dreams but don't remember them well. Think I woke up to my backup alarm, this time, which was around 3:15. Had microsleeps until about 3:40, after which I walked around the house and ate something, which woke me up sufficiently.

8:00-8:20
Took me two or three minutes to fall asleep, which is unusual. I realized upon waking up, that my body's signals to go back to sleep seemed to be in reaction to the alarm. When I was on monophasic, I was a huge fan of the snooze button. As in, I'd set three alarms every morning so that I could experience the beautiful feeling of sleeping in five, ten, fifteen more minutes. I was trained to wake up to the alarm, turn it off, and go back to sleep until the next one. So now, even though I'm mostly aware of what's going on when I wake up, I have to try that much harder to keep from closing my eyes again.

14:30-14:50
Fell asleep quickly (I've been trying to keep my naps as close to exactly 20 minutes as possible, now). I put a note over my phone so that I'd see it before turning the alarm off. I basically told myself in strong language that I'd better get up. It worked, lol. Went and played air hockey with a friend about an hour after this nap. I felt totally energized!

19:00-19:20
Fell asleep fairly quickly. Used the note over phone trick again. It went against all my body's signals to get up, at first, but once I was downstairs I felt fine.

1-13-10 (day 24)
Morning stats:
weight-122
BF-19.5
blood pressure-113/66
pulse-58
reaction time-0.2766

Evening stats:
blood pressure-112/64
pulse-70
reaction time-0.2880

0:00-5:20
Overslept. It's getting old. Did feel more awake than usual, though.

8:00-8:20
Fell asleep easily, waking up a bit hard. Still more tired during this awake period than others, but better than most days. Tested myself by trying to read; managed for about 6 minutes before starting to get tired.

14:30-14:50
Fell asleep and woke up easily. Later, tested myself reading again, this time went more than 15 minutes.

18:00-18:20
Early nap so I could go to orchestra practice. At practice, only got a bit tired for a few minutes, and otherwise stayed awake without any trouble.


1-14-10 (day 25)
Morning stats:
weight-121.4
BF-19.1
blood pressure-111/58
pulse-56
reaction time-0.2974

Evening stats:
blood pressure-11/67
pulse-63
reaction time-0.2685

0:00-4:20
Definitely had dreams. My core oversleeps are pretty consistently 1-2 hours over, which is enough time to go through all the stages of sleep one extra time. If I oversleep, I wake up naturally, so I don't feel groggy. Also, it means the schedule's working well enough that my body isn't taking more than 2 hours extra time.

8:00-8:20
Good nap. I think I had dreams.

14:30-14:50
Took two or three minutes to fall asleep. Had dreams. Hard to get up at first, but managed to. Another reading test; this time went an hour and a half without getting tired! I was even laying down!

19:00-19:20
Nap went well. Had a violin lesson afterwards. Feeling almost normal.

1-15-10 (day 26)
Morning stats:
weight-120.8
BF-19.2
blood pressure-118/64
pulse-67
reaction time-0.2788

Evening stats:
blood pressure-106/56
pulse-57
reaction time-0.2708


0:20-3:20
Went to sleep a little late because I temporarily lost my alarm, lol. My roomate let me borrow hers, which is really loud. It definitely woke me up, but I wouldn't use it on a regular basis because it would also wake everyone else in the house up...at 3 in the morning. Besides, the snooze button is just a little too convenient. I had planned on working on stuff when I got up, but wound up trying to deal with an earache (which started out in just one ear, yesterday, then got worse and went to both).

8:00-8:20
Nap seemed to go by extremely quickly. First full day of work since starting Everyman (left just after 9:00). Was able to get things done fairly well, although I had a few microsleeps. Way better than a couple weeks ago when I couldn't concentrate for more than a few seconds at a time. Earache isn't too bad right now.

14:30-14:50
Took the nap in my dad's truck; put the car shade things (whatever they're called) in all the windows so it was like a tent, and fell asleep just as easily as if I was at home. Maybe easier, actually...the car seat is just a bit more comfortable than my mattress Anyway, after the nap, I was just as alert as any other work day. Allright, so I'm usually a little bleary eyed by the end of the day, but still, it feels like an achievement.

19:00-19:20
Took me about five minutes just to fall asleep...guess I wasn't as tired as usual. Felt rested enough afterwards. The two waking periods before my core sleep seem to be really close to adjusted. The other two are slowly improving, generally speaking.

I feel great about the experiment right now! A few days ago, I was worried my energy level was just going to stay the same indefinitely, which wouldn't have been too terrible, but still not at all what I was looking for. But I'm cautiously starting to think things will continue to get better!

1-16-10 (day 27)
Morning stats:
weight-122
BF-19.3
blood pressure-113/62
pulse-60
reaction time-0.2352

Evening stats:
blood pressure-106/58
pulse-62
reaction time-0.2720

0:00-4:20
Slept through my alarm and woke up around 4:20. Think I had dreams, but don't remember many of them.

8:00-8:20
Took me five minutes to fall asleep, but nap went well after that.

14:30-14:50
Nap seemed fairly long. Fell asleep somewhat easily.

19:00-19:20
Don't remember much of this one; seemed to go quickly.

1-17-10 (day 28)
Morning stats:
weight-121.8
BF-19.4
blood pressure-103/62
pulse-68
reaction time-0.2890

Evening stats:
blood pressure-10/57
pulse-60
reaction time-0.2782

0:20-4:40
Went to sleep a little late...the oversleep seems to have shifted itself 20 minutes later than the usual natural wake-up time. Earache was acting up again. Put some alcohol in my ears, and that seemed to help a bit.

8:00-8:20
Started to get tired the last hour before this nap, so fell asleep easily.

14:30-14:50
Think I had dreams. A little trouble waking up, but felt pretty good once I did.

19:00-19:20
Nap went really smoothly. Felt really awake (I've been noticing this waking cycle and the previous one are my best).

1-18-10 (day 29)
Morning stats:
weight-121
BF-19.2
blood pressure-114/71
pulse-68
reaction time-0.2680

Evening stats:
blood pressure-104/64
pulse-71
reaction time-0.2826

0:00-3:00
Woke up easier than usual. Feeling pretty confident about my energy level; classes start tomorrow. I've gotten a lot of reading done ahead of time, for once.

8:00-8:20
Almost fell back asleep...got up with difficulty, but did fine after that. Kept at least somewhat active, which seemed to be enough to keep me awake (I could still sit down for awhile and read without getting sleepy).

14:30-14:50
My earache started getting worse, in both ears but mostly the right. Slept through it, nonetheless.

19:00-19:20
The earache now made it hard to sleep. After waking up, I tried everything from putting alchohol in my ears to gargling with salt water, but it didn't help. It got so bad that I had to go to the ER to get antibiotics. Turns out I had nasty infections in both ears.

1-19-10 (day 30)
Morning stats:
weight-122.2
BF-19.9
blood pressure-108/64
pulse-71
reaction time-0.2394

Evening stats:
blood pressure-103/53
pulse-58
reaction time-0.2882

0:00-5:20
Rather annoyed that this oversleep was even longer than usual. Hmmph.That's all I can say, really. I got all my stuff together; starting classes today!

8:00-8:20
Slow getting up, but that didn't matter too much because on monophasic, I was used to hitting the snooze button right up until 10 minutes before I had to go, then rolling out of bed. Today I actually had time in the morning. Then I found out just before I was about to leave that classes were cancelled due to a power outage. So then I really had time

14:30-14:50
Didn't do much to speak of before this nap... but woke up afterwards feeling pretty energized. Went to a sandwich place with my roomate and had my second lunch (lately I'll have either two breakfasts or two lunches, plus an extra snack).

19:00-19:20
Took my nap, then watched a few Twin Peaks episodes with my mom. I don't get tired watching stuff, as much. Before I mostly avoided TV, the same way I avoided reading (although not reading was so much more heartbreaking).


1-20-10 (day 31)
Morning stats:
weight-122.6
BF-19.6
blood pressure-109/70
pulse-75
reaction time-0.2614

Evening stats:
blood pressure-105/65
pulse-69
reaction time-0.1946

0:00-4:20
Read some more in preparation for later today. I've already read 2 1/2 of the 5 plays I need to read for acting class.

8:00-8:20
Okay, classes have really started, now. Three in a row and I didn't get tired until the last 10 minutes of my last class! And that's my most difficult waking period. Then I got up and walked to the bus stop, which was plenty to make me feel energized again. Especially with the wind and rain.

14:30-14:50
Fell asleep almost instantly. A little hard to wake up, but not too bad. Felt really good about how the 8:00-14:30 stretch went today My roomate and I went and each got new headphones! Yeah, I'm happy about my new headphones.

18:00-18:20
The early Wednesday nap for orchestra practice. This time fell asleep the same as if it was at 19:00. Not that I'm ever extremely tired at 19:00.

1-21-10 (day 32)
Morning stats:
weight-122.6
BF-19.6
blood pressure-109/70
pulse-75
reaction time-0.2614

Evening stats:
blood pressure-105/65
pulse-69
reaction time-0.1946

0:00-4:00
Had a really disturbing dream. I literally just sat in bed for 45 minutes, trying to get my thoughts normal again (eventually got over it). Finally I went downstairs and did homework for my engineering/programming class. It was actually really cool working at that time because everyone else was sleeping. Plus I'd had time before core sleep to do other things.

8:00-8:20
Got up easier than yesterday and felt like I had plenty of time to get ready to leave. Once again only got tired during the last ten minutes of class or so, although this time it was more like less concentration than actually feeling like I was going to fall asleep.

14:30-14:50
Fell asleep easily and felt great afterwards! Got a bit more work done, but mostly goofed off. Practied violin a bit extra for my lesson later.

19:00-19:20
Slept and woke up well. Had my violin lesson, then had dinner once I got home


1-22-10 (day 33)
Morning stats:
weight-122.8
BF-19.9
blood pressure-122/65
pulse-65
reaction time-0.2942

Evening stats:
blood pressure-123/63
pulse-72
reaction time-0.2864

0:10-4:35
Remembered a few of my dreams. Got a little tired, just under an hour before the next nap.

8:00-8:20
This nap went well. Went to work. Not quite as awake as last Friday during this period, but still pretty good; got a lot done.

14:30-14:50
Took the nap in the car. Woke up a couple times during it, but otherwise slept like a log. I was amazed how refreshing the nap was; there was a substantial difference in my attention span, and the bags under my eyes seemed about 50% less noticeable.

19:00-19:20
Fell asleep quickly, but the nap seemed a bit short. Totally alert soon after waking up, though.

1-23-10 (day 34)
Morning stats:
weight-123
BF-20.1
blood pressure-126/72
pulse-85
reaction time-0.2638

Evening stats:
blood pressure-109/64
pulse-68
reaction time-0.2850

0:00-6:00
Major fail. Didn't even register the alarm and slept past my usual oversleep. I think this actually might be the worst oversleep so far. I need a better system of waking up, to say the least. I decided to try finding a sleep track with a loud alarm that could work for a 3-hour core. I have new headphones, after all...

8:00-8:20
Downloaded Placebo's sleep track and I expanded the white noise portion to be 3 hours long. Unfortunately, I happen to like the bagpipe song in the current version, so I also changed the alarm part up a bit in an attempt to make it more annoying

14:30-14:50
Took me quite a while just to get myself to sit up after my alarm went off. Finally did, though. Talking to my roomate helped wake me up enough.

19:00-19:20
Left for a modern music concert that my roomate's teacher was playing in. I took the nap in the car while my roomate was driving on the freeway. I didn't manage to fall asleep at all...which I think is the first time that's happened, really. The concert was good, by the way. I liked about half of it, and the other half I was just confused (I haven't been exposed to much modern music at all, although my orchestra has played a few modern pieces). Got back just in time for core sleep. We'll see how the sleep track works out.

1-24-10 (day 35)
Morning stats:
weight-123
BF-19.6
blood pressure-112/66
pulse-69
reaction time-0.2618

Evening stats:
blood pressure-105/67
pulse-60
reaction time-0.2308

0:15-6:00
“Noooo...!” That's what I said upon waking up. I'd taken my headphones off in the night and I didn't hear the back up alarm. Noooo....oh, I've already said that. Well, maybe I can add the loud back up alarm, but I'll have to check with everyone. My roomate does tend to sleep through a lot...

8:15-8:35
Had a bunch of dreams...including something about how I had a false awakening and thought I could teleport between my bedroom and the upstairs bathroom at will (“and I'm not even asleep anymore!” )

14:30-14:50
Once again slow getting up, but not quite as bad as yesterday.

19:00-19:20
Nap went well. Purposefully slept with the light on, which made it a bit easier to get up.

I didn't read through the whole thread, but this sounds pretty neat. I'm thinking about trying out the Uberman sleep schedule this summer, since I can't think of any way I could fit it into a regular school day. What sorts of things are on your activities list? I could use some inspiration for my list. I want to make sure I have enough stuff so that I'm not bored, so I'm starting one now as things come to me.

Originally Posted by Hidden

I didn't read through the whole thread, but this sounds pretty neat. I'm thinking about trying out the Uberman sleep schedule this summer, since I can't think of any way I could fit it into a regular school day. What sorts of things are on your activities list? I could use some inspiration for my list. I want to make sure I have enough stuff so that I'm not bored, so I'm starting one now as things come to me.

Here are the types of activities I tend to do, based on my energy level. I'm sure it's not complete, but it should at least give you an idea.

Great even when really tired:
Taking walks outside, practising violin, composing, simple and fun household chores (for me; sweeping the walkway, vacuuming, putting up shelves, assembling random organizational structures, doing a couple loads of laundry...), basic conversation with other people (preferably where the conversation is more or less equal and some thought is required to reply), finding every excuse to get out of the house (tagging along to the store, walking downtown, going out to lunch, random excursions with friends...), light exercise (running for a bit, shooting hoops, doing yoga stretches, a few push-ups, air hockey!)

Medium level of energy (takes some concentration, but not necessarily a lot):
Writing (short stories, forum posts, dream journal, random topics), drawing, cooking, cleaning/organizing room, other not-quite-likeable chores, small craft projects, puzzles (I like the 3D kind), watching something short (such as a tv show or two), goofing off on the internet, listen to music (best while still performing some other simple task).

Only when feeling energized (doesn't work so well during early adjustment stages):
Reading (I found out the hard way how important it is to avoid this while adjusting), sitting around thinking, laying down, learning challenging new information/skills, going to work or classes, doing huge amounts of homework within a short period of time, watching stuff for longer periods of time, activities that require totally original and creative thinking, doing really unlike-able and boring chores, writing something that requires a lot of careful thought...also, the operating of dangerous machinery such as woodworking tools, driving, and fast cutting with knives should wait until you're totally adjusted... my mom cut her fingers at least twice recently, and she's not even adjusting to an alternate sleep schedule

I also found that the adjustment period is a good time to form new habits. For me, these are things like drinking more water, brushing my teeth more often, eating healthier, etc. Each new habit doesn't take up a ton of time, but they start to add up.

Good luck with Uberman!

1-25-10 (day 36)
Morning stats:
weight-123.2
BF-19.7
blood pressure-115/71
pulse-70
reaction time-0.2800

Evening stats:
blood pressure-120/75
pulse-90
reaction time-0.2840

0:00-3:00
YES! Back on track. Took me a while to get settled for core sleep, but fell asleep nicely once I did. Woke to the sound of chickens; my headphones didn't fall off this time!

8:20-8:40
Decided that 8:20 shall be my new morning nap time (possibly 8:30 on all days but Mondays and Wednesdays). This will put that nap and the 14:30 one 20-30 minutes closer. Any little bit of help, since that's my toughest waking period.

14:40-15:20
Argh. Not so much on track. I think I did wake up on time...but then I really spaced out. I don't remember much else, so I'm assuming that means I overslept. Guess I'm going to have to use the loud back-up alarm for every nap possible. For another month, maybe, just to be safe.

19:00-9:20
Took me a while to fell asleep. Upon waking, didn't really want to get up, but my will power was not to be squashed this time.

Originally Posted by nautilus

Here are the types of activities I tend to do, based on my energy level. I'm sure it's not complete, but it should at least give you an idea.

Great even when really tired:
Taking walks outside, practising violin, composing, simple and fun household chores (for me; sweeping the walkway, vacuuming, putting up shelves, assembling random organizational structures, doing a couple loads of laundry...), basic conversation with other people (preferably where the conversation is more or less equal and some thought is required to reply), finding every excuse to get out of the house (tagging along to the store, walking downtown, going out to lunch, random excursions with friends...), light exercise (running for a bit, shooting hoops, doing yoga stretches, a few push-ups, air hockey!)

Medium level of energy (takes some concentration, but not necessarily a lot):
Writing (short stories, forum posts, dream journal, random topics), drawing, cooking, cleaning/organizing room, other not-quite-likeable chores, small craft projects, puzzles (I like the 3D kind), watching something short (such as a tv show or two), goofing off on the internet, listen to music (best while still performing some other simple task).

Only when feeling energized (doesn't work so well during early adjustment stages):
Reading (I found out the hard way how important it is to avoid this while adjusting), sitting around thinking, laying down, learning challenging new information/skills, going to work or classes, doing huge amounts of homework within a short period of time, watching stuff for longer periods of time, activities that require totally original and creative thinking, doing really unlike-able and boring chores, writing something that requires a lot of careful thought...also, the operating of dangerous machinery such as woodworking tools, driving, and fast cutting with knives should wait until you're totally adjusted... my mom cut her fingers at least twice recently, and she's not even adjusting to an alternate sleep schedule

I also found that the adjustment period is a good time to form new habits. For me, these are things like drinking more water, brushing my teeth more often, eating healthier, etc. Each new habit doesn't take up a ton of time, but they start to add up.

Good luck with Uberman!

Wow, thanks! That list should be pretty helpful when trying to figure out what to do. I'll have to remember to go outside/exercise when I'm tired. Hopefully that will keep me awake without taking too much brain power.

I could definitely use some new habits. Maybe I'll make a list of those too.

1-26-10 (day 37)
Morning stats:
weight-123.6
BF-19.8
blood pressure-116/66
pulse-71
reaction time-0.2768

Evening stats:
blood pressure-118/65
pulse-73
reaction time-0.2570

0:00-3:00
I was tired enough to get worried about whether I could get any work done and stay awake during class...decided to add an extra nap at 5:30 for at least several days, possibly permanently. I've heard of some people using the 3-hour core with 4 naps instead of 3, so in theory, this shouldn't mess me up too much. I'm putting it in this time period because it's the hardest one aside from the 8-14:30 period (where I can't schedule in an extra nap). Also, I'm not shifting any of the other naps around because of the added nap because my body's already used to those. I want to keep as much of the benefits of over a month on this schedule as possible.

5:30-5:50
Fell asleep really easily (as I suspected). Still a bit tired after waking up, but not as much as before. Got some more homework done.

8:30-8:50
Felt pretty normal after this nap. A lot more confident about getting through the day.

14:35-14:55
Nap went well. Woke up to my cell phone, but glad the loud back up was there because I may have fallen right back asleep.

19:00-19:20
Fell asleep within a minute or two. Got out of bed easier than usual (sleeping with the light on does seem to help during this nap time).


1-27-10 (day 38)
Morning stats:
weight-122.8
BF-19.9
blood pressure-114/65
pulse-66
reaction time-0.2542

Evening stats:
blood pressure-125/68
pulse-67
reaction time-0.2648

0:10-3:10
Woke up to the alarm on my headphones. Sat there for five or ten minutes, which is good in some ways because I forgot to turn the backup alarm off and if I'd gotten up it'd be blaring endlessly...

6:00-6:30
Accidently took this nap a half hour later than yesterday...still not used to it. Grateful for the extra nap, nonetheless. Had a bunch of dreams.

8:20-8:40
Nap felt much the same as the last; more dreams. Went through class feeling at least as awake as last week. The two naps in the morning felt like a really good balance this morning.

14:30-14:50
Felt a little groggy after this nap, pluse had a bit of a headache later on from not eating enough. From my experience, this tends to make my stomache hurt and make me want to not eat anything at all...but I did eat a bit anyway.

18:00-18:20
The Early Wednesday Nap. It almost sounds like an event, now Anyways, took a few minutes to fall asleep. No trouble waking up; I think having somewhere to go right after a nap really helps me get up. Orchestra practice went really well; didn't feel tired or have the thought cross my mind a single time.

1-28-10 (day 39)
Morning stats:
weight-122
BF-19.5
blood pressure-102/60
pulse-68
reaction time-0.2628

Evening stats:
blood pressure-126/65
pulse-68
reaction time-0.2656

0:20-3:20
Lots of dreams last night. Woke up to the chickens and remembered to turn the backup alarm off.

5:30-6:00
Somehow in my slow waking state, I hit the snooze button on the loud alarm and thought that was allright, lol. Good thing I was with it enough to not just turn it off, though, because I did wake up when it went off again.

8:30-8:50
Found it really hard to fall asleep this time. I did try starting at 8:00, but ended up delaying it.

14:50-14:25
Took this nap early because I had to go somewhere right after.

19:00-19:30
The this nap in the car (while it was stopped). It was amazingly easy to fall asleep. I had my sunglasses on, and when I woke up I had impressions of them on my face, lol.

1-29-10 (day 40)
Morning stats:
weight-123.8
BF-20
blood pressure-118/61
pulse-79
reaction time-0.2414

Evening stats:
blood pressure-102/56
pulse-59
reaction time-0.1940

0:00-3:00
Woke up about halfway through the chickens.

5:30-5:50
Almost felt like I didn't need this nap. Had dreams once I finally fell asleep.

8:30-8:50
More dreams during the nap. More productive than the last two weeks at work, but still a bit more tired than I'd like to be. Had a few short lapses of concentration. Other than that, things went really well.

14:30-14:50
Took nap in the car. Definitely felt more awake afterwards. Did have a couple microsleeps, but not too noticeable.

19:00-19:20
Think I had dreams during this one. A very restful nap.

1-30-10 (day 41)
Morning stats:
weight-122.2
BF-19.8
blood pressure-115/69
pulse-55
reaction time-0.2742

Evening stats:
blood pressure-136/68
pulse-65
reaction time-0.2777

0:00-3:00
Woke up easily. Did some work as well as some goofing off (can't blame me for that ).

5:30-5:50
Think I had dreams. A little sluggish afterwards.

8:30-9:45
Oversleep! I think I started to get up, but turned my alarms off and fell right back asleep... *sigh*, oh well, at least I haven't had an oversleep since Monday.

14:30-14:50
Went to lunch with my mom, then had another car nap; it's not too hard to do now.

19:00-19:20
Nap went smoothly, don't remember much of my dreams this time.

1-31-10 (day 42)
Morning stats:
weight-122
BF-19.5
blood pressure-109/63
pulse-70
reaction time-0.3062

Evening stats:
blood pressure-109/54
pulse-69
reaction time-0.2891

0:00-3:00
Woke to the sleep track and got up without thinking much about it. Didn't wait too long to come downstairs. I got something to eat and worked on homework.

6:00-8:00
Took the nap late...and then overslept. Not a good combination. Felt groggy and generally not too happy.

14:30-14:50
Still a little groggy before and after the nap, but went back to work in the hopes of feeling like I accomplished something by the end of the day.

19:00-19:20
Had dreams. The smell of food helped me get up.

2-1-10 (day 43)
Morning stats:
weight-122.8
BF-20.2
blood pressure-115/58
pulse-86
reaction time-0.2476

Evening stats:
blood pressure-129/77
pulse-94
reaction time-0.2544

0:00-3:00
My computer turned itself off during the night, but the back up alarm woke me up. I think I hit the snooze once before getting with it.

5:30-5:50
A bunch of really cool dreams, very vivid. I'm really liking my two morning naps...apart form some waking up issues.

8:20-8:40
More really cool dreams (even better than last nap). Got up without issue. Having somewhere I really have to be after a nap works incredibly well for getting up in a timely manner.

14:30-15:50
I set the alarms to go off at the wrong time Really annoying when I mess up due to simple oversights like that.

19:00-19:20
Woke up easier than usual. At first I was like “Don't wanna get up...” then I suddenly realized that it wouldn't be hard at all and did.

I'm seriously considering trying out Everyman (the two nap one). I've struggled with 'trying to be a normal person and go to bed/get up early' for a long time, but I always fail in the end. I've been a night owl for just as long, making it even harder for me to even want to go to bed early. I love that time in the early morning when no one else is awake and the night sounds are still going. :p

In the past, it's gotten so bad that I would go to bed at 6 a.m. and get up at 6 p.m.! But that seriously messes with my mind these days, so I try not to do it.

Anyway, your posts are inspiring - they give me ideas on how to handle the transition myself.

But honestly, I think I'm the complete opposite of you! The only thing that keeps me awake is engrossing myself with something online. In the past when I've tried sleep deprivation or changing my schedule, trying to do chores or be active always made me want to sleep. XD

Reading is very engrossing and I can do that for a long time. Doing something new and/or exciting helps a ton as well - and luckily I'm getting an iPod Touch very soon & that will keep me jabbering to anyone who'll listen (mainly the parents, who're also getting one). ^^;

As for alarms, I have this bad habit of unconsciously turning them off. XD But I have better luck when I set all three of my cellphone's alarms to go off and put the phone somewhere else in the room so that I have to get up, giving me time to wake up a bit.

I do worry about dreaming. I definitely don't want to give up dreaming (through the transition period is okay).

Are you working on your dream recall right now, or just letting them come as they come? You seem to be improving in that area either way. As long as I can still have my dreams like in monophasic sleep, I'd like to try Everyman.

P.S.: Sorry for the rambling, I'm just excited. How will I ever get to sleep now?

Originally Posted by Keitorin

I'm seriously considering trying out Everyman (the two nap one). I've struggled with 'trying to be a normal person and go to bed/get up early' for a long time, but I always fail in the end. I've been a night owl for just as long, making it even harder for me to even want to go to bed early. I love that time in the early morning when no one else is awake and the night sounds are still going. :p

In the past, it's gotten so bad that I would go to bed at 6 a.m. and get up at 6 p.m.! But that seriously messes with my mind these days, so I try not to do it.

Anyway, your posts are inspiring - they give me ideas on how to handle the transition myself.

Good luck with Everyman if you decide to try it! I'm a night owl too... when left to my own devices on monophasic, I tend to go to sleep at 2 am, then wake up sometime after noon.

In the past when I've tried sleep deprivation or changing my schedule, trying to do chores or be active always made me want to sleep. XD

Reading is very engrossing and I can do that for a long time. Doing something new and/or exciting helps a ton as well

Well, boring activities definitely don't work For me, though, reading seemed like a great idea in theory, but didn't turn out so well in practice. During my first polyphasic attempt, I refused to put the books down...except for times like when I woke up, picked up a book, then woke up again a few hours later, confused and found the book behind the sofa like I'd fallen asleep after reading two sentences and it fell out of my hand I really don't like not being able to read. Even though in the past reading has kept me up way past my bedtime, it apparently doesn't work the same when sleep deprived.

I do worry about dreaming. I definitely don't want to give up dreaming (through the transition period is okay).

Are you working on your dream recall right now, or just letting them come as they come? You seem to be improving in that area either way. As long as I can still have my dreams like in monophasic sleep, I'd like to try Everyman.

So far I'm just letting the dreams come whenever they happen to (they seem like a good indicator of how well I'm adjusting, since they indicate REM sleep)...but I have been noticing an increase in interesting dreams. Definitely every day now, often two or three times a day. I'm getting inspired to start consistently writing my dreams down again

Dreaming trends:
Core sleep: medium clarity to vivid dreams.
5:30 and 8:30 naps: most vivid dreams, pretty consistently during both naps.
14:30: fewest dreams during this nap, vague to medium clarity when I do have them.
19:00-usually medium clarity, dreaming occurs about ¼ to 1/3 of the time.

Overall, it sometimes feels like I'm dreaming a lot more than when I was on monophasic. Probably has to do with the number of times I'm going to sleep. I've read that on monophasic, you only remember the dreams from the last REM cycle unless you wake up in the middle of the night.

Originally Posted by nautilus

Good luck with Everyman if you decide to try it! I'm a night owl too... when left to my own devices on monophasic, I tend to go to sleep at 2 am, then wake up sometime after noon.

Thanks! This is my third day now. It's been interesting.

Well, boring activities definitely don't work For me, though, reading seemed like a great idea in theory, but didn't turn out so well in practice.

LOL, i see what you mean! I've done strange things in my a half-asleep state (like getting up, moving a piece of clothing over and then going right back to sleep...). When it happens it's definitely 'WTF', even if it's funny to read someone talk about it.

I really don't like not being able to read. Even though in the past reading has kept me up way past my bedtime, it apparently doesn't work the same when sleep deprived.

Thirty minutes is just not near enough time to read a good book. I've tried allotting an hour to read, that still wasn't enough. You just get sucked right into the story!

It's unfortunate that sleep deprivation makes it so unpleasant (the words swim, your eyes droop, all the words look like 'sleep' in your head!).

I've only read once so far, on the first day as stress relief due to chaos that was going on at the time. It's a bit tricky keeping with the schedule so I haven't been able to read. Maybe that's a good thing, for now.

So far I'm just letting the dreams come whenever they happen to (they seem like a good indicator of how well I'm adjusting, since they indicate REM sleep)...but I have been noticing an increase in interesting dreams. Definitely every day now, often two or three times a day. I'm getting inspired to start consistently writing my dreams down again

That's awesome! I was really worried about the dreaming aspect because at a good time, I could have anywhere from 4-8 a night. But I've already found no cause for worry - just a bit ago I had two dreams, and several bits that I couldn't quit remember enough to write down. I was very happy. I think it'll just be a matter of adjusting to how to fall asleep fast after writing them down. If I just write keywords I'll have to try and cement the dream into my mind before I do sleep...

I haven't been able to test much for when I nap, because my body is still rebelling against naptime. Meh!

Overall, it sometimes feels like I'm dreaming a lot more than when I was on monophasic. Probably has to do with the number of times I'm going to sleep. I've read that on monophasic, you only remember the dreams from the last REM cycle unless you wake up in the middle of the night.

I read that too. That's why I find polyphasic interesting, 'cause of the whole REM thing! I'm definitely going to keep at it and experiment.

Thank you for your reply! Off to scribble my bit of dreams down.