fun and hell with polysleeping

Last year I tried a experiment with polyphasic sleeping. It failed miserably, but I really had no discipline or self control. I was in that period where the freedom of being a professional was overwhelming. Being able to do whatever, whenever was something I loved, and giving myself a strict schedule is not something I really wanted.

I decided after coming back from LA I wanted to try it again, but this time really put an effort into it. The extra free time it will give should be amazing for a poker player and allow me to play more hands.

I started it last Saturday, and last night was complete hell. I imagine it would be like a heroin addict having to quit cold turkey, but forced to sit next to some and be able to use it whenever they want. The brain pulls you so hard when you are tired to find a place to sleep, and last night I gave in and slept for 11 hours.

I'm not really upset at myself. Last night I was literally going insane, but today I'm going back to it. I'm adding changes to help me through those times.

The typical schedule for polyphasic sleeping is 20-30 minute naps every 4 hours. The first week is very hard, as you become sleep deprived with your body adjusting to the schedule. The whole idea is to give yourself much more free time throughout the day. The only cons are the first week in which you give anything to find a nice bed and 12 hours to sleep. Also, with the inflexability of the schedule, I won't be able to go over 6 hours without napping.

What I'm changing to the system are two things: First, I'm going to allow myself to sleep every 2-3 hours when I become super sleep deprived. The idea behind this is to allow my brain adjust faster, as it will have more chances to get interrupted. The second thing I will be doing is taking some walks outside if I become very tired. I can't think of a better way to wake up then some exercise and freezing temperatures.

I'll try to give some updates along the way, but when I'm tired my brain does not function at all, so you might be out of luck.