Biphasic Sleep Guide

Core sleep: 02:40 - 06:30
Nap: 20:20 - 22:00

This day was interesting. I went to sleep 02:40, planning a core sleep of 4.5 hours instead of my usual six. However, I awoke automatically around 6 and couldn’t force myself to sleep again. Although I lingered in the bed semi-sleeping for half an hour, I did get up. To the end of the last class (Economics) today, I almost fell asleep, but I used to do that before I tried biphasic sleeping, too. My day has in fact been quite yawn-free, despite only three hours of real sleep.

Since I was tired, the nap went painlessly past and I fell asleep after just a few minutes.

Only yesterday, I told you that I had stopped remembering dreams. Well, I take that back — after my core sleep this morning, I remembered three dreams, and they all were much more detailed than those I usually remember.

Core sleep: 01:50 - 08:00
Nap: 20:10 - 22:00

I’m still not tired. Both sleeps required alarm clocks to wake up, but I had no problems getting up once I awoke. I feel that I have adapted now. The adaption phase actually went painlessly past, as opposed to what others have written.

Core Sleep: 01:40 - 07:10
Nap: 20:20 - 22:00

Today was Saturday, and I have never got up that early without a reason on a weekend. I got up after the core sleep without the alarm clock. Note that I slept less than four full cycles anyway — 5.5 hours. The two explanations are that 1) my sleep cycles are only about 80 minutes, and that 2) I just slept for three cycles and that was enough. I can’t recall taking an hour to fall asleep, so I’m hoping for the former one.

Other than that, I’m still always feeling refreshed. Even though I needed the alarm clock to wake me up from the nap, I never felt any tired.

I’ve been keeping a dream diary for about three months, and today I noticed something — since I started sleeping biphasically, I’ve had a lot of trouble remembering dreams. I used to remember at least one dream every sleep session, but since i started sleeping biphasically, I’ve only remembered one every fourth night (two nights over four days).

According to Wikipedia, “general observation shows that dreams are associated with REM sleep”. My own theory, completely lacking any scientific proof, is that it is easier to remember a dream which you wake up in the middle of. Since I try to wake up in the end of a sleep cycle, the chances are very low that I wake up in the middle of a dream.

The two dreams that I did remember, I didn’t remember when I woke up — the memories came back to me after some hours, in the middle of the day.

Another explanation would be that I am too excited about non-monophasic sleeping to think about my dreams, which I think is likely since other bloggers have reported an increase in remembered dreams.

Core sleep: 01:10 - 07:10
Nap: 20:40 - 22.20

This morning, I woke up by myself att 05:40 — after three sleep cycles. However, thinking that I wouldn’t be able to make the day with so little sleep after just three days of biphasic sleeping, I decided that I’d keep sleeping until I had six hours of core sleep. It worked nicely, and I even woke up without the alarm clock.

My nap was 20:40 to 22:20. The alarm clock made me wake up, but I guess I was really close to waking up by myself. This time, since I have guests here, I had set the alarm clock to really wake me up instead of as a backup.

Core sleep: 01:10 - 07:20
Nap: 21:10 - 22:50

There were a few things to note about today. First, I woke up at 5:30, feeling not sleepy at all. I suppose that I had completed three sleep cycles. However, I forced myself too sleep, thinking that I’d suffer the whole day if I hadn’t slept more.

I went to sleep for the nap at 20:20, but didn’t fall asleep until some time after 21:00. This might have been due to two phone calls in the first 15 minutes which made me more alert, but I believe that I just wasn’t tired. A consequence of me sleeping “too long” (6 hours) of core sleep that night?

Perhaps. If I don’t feel like sleeping when 1:30 approaches tonight, I will attempt to already reduce my core sleep to three sleep cycles (4.5 hours).

Core sleep: 02:00 - 07:30
Nap: 20:00 - 21:45

I tried to go to sleep 1:20, but just like yesterday, I couldn’t fall asleep for a long time. I think that this is a consequence of the relatively late nap that I take. Unfortunately, an earlier nap would not work for me since my family eats dinner around 19.

Anyway, I did wake up from the nap before the alarm clock rang today! It was about five minutes earlier, although I didn’t feel as refreshed as other biphasic sleepers tout to do after the nap. I suppose it’s a matter of adaption: so far, I’ve been sleeping biphasically for only two days (although it feels like forever).

From what I’ve read of others experiences, the reactions from people around you seem to be quite severe, with people saying that you are crazy and will die. I got it quite easy, except on one part.

First off, my mother was surprisingly fine with it. She didn’t even mention that there could be negative side-effects for my health. The friends whom I have told about the project just thought that it would be cool and interesting.

The main problem was my girlfriend, who thought that I’d become sick and develop some kind of insomnia, being unable to go back to my prior sleeping patterns. I think that I’ve convinced her now, and I hope that she’s dead wrong.

Core sleep: 03:00 - 07:30
Nap: 20:30 - 22:00

I just woke up from the nap. Note that I went to bed at 01:20, but failed to fall asleep until after 03:00. I suppose that it’s a consequence of me taking my first nap the same day as I had slept a full 8 hours, so it’s not the new sleep-schedule’s fault.

I’m feeling a bit tired from waking up from the nap. I suppose it was the alarm clock disturbing my REM sleep. Perhaps my sleeping cycles are a bit longer than 90 minutes? I hope not.