Polyphasic sleep cycle 2.0 - Day 2

Progress at-a-glance

End of day 2*

• Mental alertness: 9
• Physical energy level: 9
• Quality of sleep: 10

*On this scale, 10 represents my original state prior to beginning this experiment.

Detailed comments

Happy New Year! The year has passed so quickly! No doubt a lot of things have happened during that time for all of us. For me, not in the least of my changes is coming to Japan and gaining the ability to communicate in another language. This time next year, who knows, maybe I can say I've gained a new sleeping pattern. At this rate, it looks promising.

Today was a good day in terms of my sleep experiment (and also overall, but I'll stick to the topic in this blog post). I experienced REM sleep in multiple naps, and during my waking hours, was able to go about regular everyday tasks. I undeniably suffered a degree of fog of brain which affected mental processes somewhat, but only slightly. The following is a more detailed breakdown of the day.

For my 12am nap, I set my countdown timer for 35 minutes as planned, and fell asleep within five minutes. I experienced REM sleep, and was woken up by my alarm during a dream. Being woken up halfway through a dream might not necessarily be the best thing, but it means I reached REM sleep even though it was only a 30 minute nap, which is a promising sign at this stage of the experiment. I trust that as long as I'm able to stick to my sleeping schedule, my body will gradually get faster and faster at entering REM sleep, meaning a more efficient sleep. I had half a cup of rice with some seaweed-based condiment to eat. I spent my waking hours trying to do some kanji study. It was considerably difficult staying conscious, frequently nodding off. In my opinion, that had less to do with the nature of the activity than it had to do with how tired I actually was.

My 4am nap also went well, falling asleep within five minutes and experiencing REM sleep. I spent my waking time watching anime. I am really behind on One Piece… I wonder if I'll ever fully catch up, even with all this extra time.

My 8am nap was my best sleep of the day by far. I woke up 4.5 minutes before my 35 minute countdown alarm went off! Though I don't remember any dreaming, I suspect that I already completed a phase of REM sleep before waking up (thus not remembering my dream). Whether I did or not, I felt really refreshed when I woke up, and stayed that way till my next nap.

At around 11am, I felt an onset of tiredness. I'd been yawning occasionally all day, but all of a sudden, this strange nagging feeling welled up inside me telling me it's time to sleep. In the end I waited till my scheduled 12pm before actually going to bed, but I found it interesting how my body is showing signs of altering its sleep signalling system. I attribute the sensation to that and not solely to sleep deprivation, because it wasn't an ongoing feeling, and it wasn't something I'd felt much before. Maybe it's related to what Steve Pavlina, a successful transitioner to the Uberman sleep cycle, felt when he delayed his naps. The difference is, he waited till day 120+ to confirm such a phenomenon happening. I'm on day 2. For me, it's mere speculation yet.

After my 12pm nap, I had a bowl of rice with stir fry, very similar to yesterday's lunch. That's because I hadn't gone shopping for new material yet. But it's healthy and tasty, so I didn't mind.

From about 2pm till my 4pm nap time, I went shopping for the new year's party this evening. This was the first time I'd travelled so far away from my sleeping quarters, and it told me two things. One, I was able to function normally even on the second day of the experimental period to perform everyday tasks like shopping despite my predictions. Two, (with some timekeeping reminders from a friend I went shopping with,) I was able to complete a moderate sized task and still return to my room for my nap in time.

After waking up from my 4pm nap, preparations for the new year's party went under way. Most of the time between 4:30pm and 10pm was spent on preparation, assisting a friend with making the new year's cake, cooking rice and a mapo tofu dish, and decorating the designated room for our celebrations. I was able to sneak in my 8pm nap on time as scheduled, and return to making the cake without losing my rhythm. The preparations for the party didn't require very high intensity physically nor mentally, and I was able to deliver what was expected of the for the tasks at hand without a problem in my state.

After 10pm though, the party began. There was so much food! It was such a challenge resisting myself from gorging on the delicious food made by all the other foreign students. But I had to, since my 12am nap was so close. In the end, I ate primarily vegetarian friendly dishes, and of moderate quantities. Everything was so tasty!

We celebrated the transition into the new year at midnight with a toast, after which I quickly ducked out for my nap. The nap itself was of reasonable quality, not the best I've had, but I fell asleep within ten minutes. When I woke up, I experienced slight fog of brain, but again it didn't affect my interaction with others too much. However, as the party went on, I did notice that my energy levels couldn't match the energy level of the party the entire time. At about 1:30am, I was feeling pretty out of it, but I stuck it through till a bit past 2am, by which time the majority had left, and we cleaned up and disbanded. It was good being able to celebrate New Year's with the other foreign students. We will be at our respective separate universities from next year, so it was a valuable opportunity being able to celebrate new year's together.

I've crossed over into my third day on my second attempt at a polyphasic sleep cycle, and it's getting near my 4am nap. Happy new year's, everyone! For the moment, it's over and out.