KEY POINTS: What I’ve Learned Thus Far About Sleep
It is 3 weeks into Polyphasic Sleep when I started this page. It is intended to be a repository of the most important things I’ve found as I blunder my way through this:
- RESPECT THE NAP – skipping a nap or postponing it more than an hour may have big consequences in terms of oversleeping a subsequent nap, making you extremely tired or inattentive during one of the next wake cycles, etc.
- PLACE THE ALARM FAR FROM THE BED – make it as difficult as possible to turn off the alarm. My current plan: have a computer in the dining room that plays music to wake me up, wired through speakers that run all the way to my room. Thus, I need to get up and out of my room to turn it off
- WALK AROUND FOR AT LEAST 60 SECONDS – after a nap, especially early on, when you turn off the alarm you might think “OOh, I’m still really tired, I should reset the alarm for another nap now.” Most times that fatigue goes away after moving around a bit. So go get a glass of water. Walk a lap around the apartment. Anything but get right back into bed.
- BE VERY AWARE OF WHAT YOU INGEST – I’ve pared back the massive quantities of meat I usually eat every week, in deference to my body’s changing needs. I also take multi-vitamins most days – I’m treating myself as if I’m getting sick, and thus have not yet gotten sick. Make sure to stay well-hydrated – I need to do better at this one. Drink alcohol at your own risk! It dehydrates, and can mess with naps like nobody’s business.
