Thread: Physical effects of polyphasic sleep

I've been thinking about starting a sleep schedule when I go off to college. I'm concerned, however, because I want to do a lot of athletics and training, and I've heard that sleep is when your body restores/repairs itself and allows you to get stronger etc. Just wondering if that's true or if getting less sleep time would have any effect on that.

It's not necessarily about sleeping less, it's about doing more things in a single day. The extended pressure is what may hinder you from developing fully.

Everyman is definitely the one for you. I wouldn't suggest uberman for people with... a life.

I'd suggest trying everyman, giving it an initial 4(?) days to go through the hardest part of adaptation, and then you check: if, after a full day, you still feel physically tired from exercise you did the day before, then it's a no-no.

Furthermore, don't forget to sleep more should you become ill. In fact, we usually do sleep more, naturally, when we get sick, and having such a strict tiem table may hinder that process.

That said, I can only wish you best of luck. PM me if you need any help.

Well I've been trying biphasic for almost a week now (about 5 hours/night and 1 hour nap) and I can tell even that isn't going to work if I plan on exercising as strenuously as I do now. I suppose if I decrease my activity greatly in college, I'll give it a shot but otherwise I'll probably have to stick to a good 7-9 hours/night.

I'm very interested in trying the Everyman cycle as I have no job or school to worry about. The only thing that concerns me is the health risks. I recently turned 17 and I'm concerned less sleep (even though the quality is better) could stop me from growing normally. Anyone have infO??

valwen, I don't know how urgent your schedule is, but I'd say you haven't given time for your body to adapt to the new schedule. It's hard to tell because we can't know ofr sure when our body has adapted fully. If you don't have time to waste with adaptation, I'd suggest sticking to your old routine... but if you do have time, I suggest you try.

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Andrew, I wish I could help, but unfortunately, there is very little research and knowledge on that area. I do believe that polyphasic sleep could hinder your development, but I'm not sure if it would still affect you at you age. Again, best would be to give it a try, but then again it's hard to say because of the adaptation period (during which you WILL feel like crap, I tell you)