Fine-tuning the sleep schedule
After falling off my polyphasic sleep schedule about a month ago to deal with a flu bug I've been back on track for a couple of weeks now. The only real change has been a 20-minute nap added around 10:00pm, and an hour and a half shaved off my core sleep. So now my schedule looks something like this: 2:30am-6:00am = 3.5 hours
12:00pm - 12:20 = 20 minutes
6:00pm - 6:20 = 20 minutes
10:00pm - 10:20 = 20 minutes Total = 4.5 hoursBefore, my core sleep had been 1:00am - 6:00am, but by 11:30 at night I would feel like a complete zombie. I considered adding another hour onto the front of my core sleep to make it 12-6, but with the two naps later in the day that meant I'd be sleeping almost 7 hours a day, which kind of defeated the purpose. It seems backward, but by adding that late night nap and trimming my core sleep I actually sleep less overall and I'm less tired throughout the day. And the 10:00pm nap was a painless addition. Most of the "standard" Everyman breakdowns I've read on the web actually advise either a 3 hour or a 4.5 hour core sleep -- something about 90-minute cycles being easier on the body. Maybe after awhile I'll trim that extra 30 minutes off my nighttime core, but for now this is working beautifully.
12:00pm - 12:20 = 20 minutes
6:00pm - 6:20 = 20 minutes
10:00pm - 10:20 = 20 minutes Total = 4.5 hoursBefore, my core sleep had been 1:00am - 6:00am, but by 11:30 at night I would feel like a complete zombie. I considered adding another hour onto the front of my core sleep to make it 12-6, but with the two naps later in the day that meant I'd be sleeping almost 7 hours a day, which kind of defeated the purpose. It seems backward, but by adding that late night nap and trimming my core sleep I actually sleep less overall and I'm less tired throughout the day. And the 10:00pm nap was a painless addition. Most of the "standard" Everyman breakdowns I've read on the web actually advise either a 3 hour or a 4.5 hour core sleep -- something about 90-minute cycles being easier on the body. Maybe after awhile I'll trim that extra 30 minutes off my nighttime core, but for now this is working beautifully.
