Polyphasic Sleep Day 5
Wow, this is hard. One of the hardest things I’ve done. It’s day 5, from when I started, unfortunately I crashed hard on day 3, sleeping through my alarm in the morning for a total of 7 hours. That will set me back, but I’m not sure by how much.
Right now I’m kind of going between really, really lethargic to normal and back again. I’m falling asleep fast during the naps, and I wake up fast too, often 1-2 minutes before the alarm goes off, but I can really tell that my body/mind hasn’t adjusted yet.
The suprising thing is the psychological impact. There’s no more break between the days, that’s the most weird part. Life now feels like one continuous stream, rather than being broken up into a series of days or weeks. The question is then: “What am I going to do right now?” instead of “What am I going to do today?”, because without a nightly reboot, time just keeps going. The naps feel more like time outs than proper sleeps, but perhaps when I’m adjusted to them, they’ll be a little more concrete. If this is the case, then days, nights, and planning over a period of months is just a mind construct made to prevent us from being as effective as possible. I know that the present moment is the only one we can actually use to make a difference, but now I’m intensly starting to experience it.
The other thing I noticed, like when I was on the raw diet, your mind likes to play tricks on you, test your resolve. Giving you lines like “This could be bad for you!” or “Just sleep for another couple of hours, noone will know.” Right now I think the main thing that’s keeping me going through all of the lethargy and tiredness is knowing that there’s an end, and getting there requires being present and taking it one moment at a time. I know I won’t consciously sabotage myself at this point, but lets see what’s stronger: my will, or my subconscious.
Also: Yes, if this does get too much, or I break down, I will quit, but I’m nowhere near that point yet. Right now I’m focussing on using all of my will to keep to the schedule and all of my presense to listen to my body. So it’s going really well, but it’s still hard, as all the best things in life are.
Going Poly
Polyphasic Sleep that is.
Due to circumstances, I find myself with a lot of free time, no fixed schedule, lots of project work to be done and a messed up sleep cycle. So I decided I may as well try out polyphasic sleep. I’ve wanted to do it since Steve first mentioned it back in 2k5, it sounded so fascinating. So now that I can, I’m attempting it, just to see what it’s like, and what will happen. Even if I fail, at least I learn something about sleep, my body and life in general, right?
I’m following the Dymaxion sleep schedule: 30 minutes every 6 hours, to see how I go. If after a week I fail, I’ll try the Uberman, as it seems more people have more success with that one. First day was today, after only a 30 minute nap at midnight last night and 6am this morning. I felt really groggy so I had another nap at 9am, but then at 1pm, my nap went for 3 hours. Blah. I slept right through the alarm. I will need to get one that’s louder and furthur away from my bed. Right now, I’m feeling kinda foggy, like I’m tired, but without the lethargy and lack of energy. It’s more like my brain is telling my body is sleepy but my body is all “Nups, I’m good to go.” It would be facinating if the only reason why we sleep for so long is so our minds can take time to memory dump at the end of each day, because then it would make sense that it would adjust to a nap schedule.
Anyways, at midnight again it’s time for a 30 minute nap. Lets see how it goes.
New Year
It’s been a hell of a couple of months, that’s for sure. Not many of my goals were worked on, but lots of insights discovered and lots of walls broken down. At the same time I’ve been inspired to play, and create the next year. So here is the list of goals I plan to work on for the next 365 days:
Health:
Weigh 90 kgs and Be fit and healthy
How?
Eat healthy food. No takeaway, sugar or “white food”.
Ride my ex bike for 30 minutes twice a day.
Do 3 sets of pushups, situps and squats in the morning and evening.
Why?
To be fit and healthy and feel good about myself. To be an inspiration to others. To have the energy and will to follow through on my life purpose, whatever that turns out to be. To live, to breathe and to experience. To thank my body for being here for me.
Career:
Find a better job that I enjoy, earning at least 40k a year.
How?
Finish my resume by the end of the weekend.
Send it out to at least 1 company per day, with cover sheet until I have the job.
Why?
To support my growth and bring new experiences into my life. To see where life will take me and to uncover the truth behind the world. To interact and live.
Following my dream:
Finish a computer game.
How?
Spend at least 20 hours a week on writing a computer game, starting with Randor, and working until finished.
4 hours a day, 5 days a week.
Why?
To express my inner ideas. To give to people the fun and joy that I’ve received from computer games. To help people reconnect with what they love to do, and bring home that life is fun and meant to be enjoyed. To reawaken the child within everyone.
And those are my plans. All I know now is that it’s going to be one awesome year.