Most people go to sleep in a monophasic sleep cycle for 6-8 hours each night. Polyphasic sleep cycles consist of sleeping several times in a 24 hour period that total between 2-4 hours. You may find that you can operate on less sleep using these methods, but some people can experience negative side effects.


Brain hack weblog High Existence reports that the shorter more frequent periods of sleep experienced with polyphasic cycles trick the body into entering Stage 5 REM sleep immediately instead of the 45-75 minutes it normally takes. This is why, according to High Existence, you can sleep less overall and function without problem.

There are many polyphasic sleep cycles; two of which are illustrated in the image above. The source link below goes into detail of four of them—out of the four I think the Everyman Cycle would be the easiest to adapt as you'd get a 3-hour nap at night and three 20-minute naps spaced throughout the day.


While polyphasic sleep can work well for some, others have experienced side effects associated with sleep deprivation. Blogger Steve Pavlina drew attention to polyphasic sleep when he conducted a 30-day experiment. Pavlina felt that it was a positive experience but went back to a monophasic sleep cycle after 5 months, claiming that he did not get enough time with his wife or out in the sun since he essentially spent all night alone on the internet.

For many people with standard schedules polyphasic sleep is not a realistic option, but if you have a flexible schedule, don't mind using yourself as a guinea pig despite skepticism about polyphasic sleep, keep your eye on possible negative side effects, it could be worth a try. Share your experiences, if any, in the comments.

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Alternate Sleep Cycles: You Don't Really Need 6-8 Hours! | High Existence via Reddit