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Today has been far and away the best day that I have had in the polyphasic transition period. I made it to my three naps with ease, and I plan to take my fourth nap in about half an hour. I overslept only on the 12:30pm nap by about 20 minutes. After my 6:30am and 6:30pm naps, I sprung into action right after my alarms went off.
I should note that I vividly recalled two separate dreams (REM cycles) during my 6:30am nap. While I have read that polyphasic sleepers are supposed to recall lucid (and lurid) dreams frequently, these two dreams are the first ones that I can recall since my adaptation period began.
I did feel quite tired during the third hour of my 8am-12 Chinese classes. This could certainly be a result of other causes though. I often felt tired in the class anyway before I started polyphasic sleeping. Sitting still in the same educational environment for four hours is a test of endurance for any person regardless of their current sleep patterns.
Other than this expected lull, I was very energetic and mentally active for the entire day. After slightly oversleeping the 12:30pm nap, I had a very productive several hours of studying. When practicing with the Chinese professor for about an hour, I noticed a pleasently sufficient level of memory recall and mental efficiency.
Afterwards around 5pm, I decided that I would make a light jog over to one of the dining halls to get dinner. As I exited the dormitory and felt the light rain-drizzle and crisp air I could not resist the urge to go on another challenging run and later work on my abdominal strength.
For the second consecutive day, I felt a burst of strange energy in between my lunch and dinner naps. This time my initial intention was just to saunter over and grab some dinner.
The interesting thing is that I was grabbed by this extra energy as soon as I set foot outside of the dorm and felt that my body was ready to go. Today, I noticed very high running levels. I decided to run a bit further this time. For about 20 minutes or so I could not have safely ran any faster. It was lightly raining at the time, and my fast pace made the footing on the concrete surfaces a bit challenging.
Calisthenics and strength training also continued to run smoothly for me. I partook in abdominal and calf muscle strengthening exercises. I felt very strong. Had I felt a bit stronger, I would have been convinced that polyphasic sleeping was giving me more physicial capabilities. I still am very cautious of polyphasic sleeping's effects on the body. However, I can say with near certainty that Dymaxion Sleeping has not adversely affected my body's physical endurance and strength thus far.
After this workout session I returned to my dormitory bed still brimming with energy. I think that I experienced somewhat of a runner's high because I experienced euphoric sensations and my mental state seemed to be pleasantly lighter and happier for some time after my exercise. I attempted to take my 6:30pm nap with all this energy even though I usually like to feel exhausted before I put my head down on the pillow.
To my delight, I had a restful nap and woke up with ease continuing to feel unbelievably well.
Polyphasic sleeping continues to be a smashing success. There is no question that this is the adaptation process. I expected this to be an absolute two week nightmare. I frequently read that this adaptation process was the hardest thing one could possibly do in life. Thus far, I have felt disappointed in a perverse way because the adaptation process has actually been quite effortless. I feel like I have not had to earn anything. I expect things to only get better and easier, but even if they didn't I think that I would continue to embrace polyphasic sleeping given the status quo. I have so much extra time and I really do feel about the same as I did before starting Dymaxion sleep.
best wishes
-NEXT DAY
-PREVIOUS DAY
-HOME
-POLYPHASIC SLEEP
2 comments:
2 questions:
why do you think you have this energy surge that you talk about when running and do people drive cars using this program?
1) I think that the energy surge has to do with the circadian clock.
If all the variables were controlled then I should have four identical waking periods. Each waking period should have an identical energy pattern. In this pattern, I might have a short period in which my energy increases after I get up from my nap, then I experience peak energy for the waking cycle, and finally energy drops before the next nap.
The fact is that we cannot control all the variables. One crucial variable is the amount of sunlight. I believe that my surge of energy often comes around 3:30pm because a)this is the optimal energy time within the 1pm - 6:30pm waking block and b)this is the time when the body is most aware of the sunlight. I think that any time around 3:30pm gives us the most energy from the sun because the circadian clock has had sufficient time to internalize the peak sunlight hours (probably around 1-2:30pm).
2)Of course polyphasic sleepers can drive. After adaptation, polyphasic sleepers are often more alert, energetic, and optimistic. I am sure they make phenomenal drivers.
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