I crashed hard about 4:30am this morning, a slightly delayed after effect of meeting some friends for lunch at 1:00. I did not get to my afternoon nap until 3:30, which is 2 hours later than it is scheduled. I slept for about 1:45 minutes, which is fine. My sleep was good and I awoke refreshed and sharp. Now I had a phone get-together scheduled with another friend at 9:00pm, but he had to push it back until 11:00. I thought this would probably be no problem since I was already 2 hrs behind on the day. However, at 10:30 - my usual nap time - I was starting to fade, so I thought that I would try taking a short nap before I talked to my friend. I seemly awoke on my own, but i must have been woken up by my friend calling, as he was on the phone when I checked the time. I keep the ringer on vibrate, so it is relatively subtle. It was 11:00, so I had slept for 1/2 hr. I talked to him, had my coffee and started my day. I wondered if the longer sleep this afternoon and the shorter sleep this evening would average out such that my schedule would be unaffected.
Now, I have to admit, it hasn't worked that way on other days that I have tried altering my schedule, and today was no different. At 3:50, a full 1 1/2 hrs before I normally sleep, I was suddenly and deeply tired. I lay down on the couch and immedately went to sleep, waking at 6:45, which is basically my regular time. I feel a little bit groggy this morning. We shall see if I can right my schedule without another extended nap.
Most people think that the rigidity of the poly-phasic sleep schedule is a huge downside, and to some extent, this is true. However, it is not like mono-phasic sleepers have a flexible schedule. My friend that I was on the phone with eventually had to call it a night and head for bed. It was only about 1/2 hr past his usual bedtime, and he was worried about the consequences for himself in the morning. I think that the real downside to the poly-phasic schedule is not that it is rigid, but that it does not align with socially excepted norms. I would think that in countries where siestas are more common, that one might be able to do a tri-phasic sleep schedule with no social consequences at all.
How did I not see this coming?
Now, I have to admit, it hasn't worked that way on other days that I have tried altering my schedule, and today was no different. At 3:50, a full 1 1/2 hrs before I normally sleep, I was suddenly and deeply tired. I lay down on the couch and immedately went to sleep, waking at 6:45, which is basically my regular time. I feel a little bit groggy this morning. We shall see if I can right my schedule without another extended nap.
Most people think that the rigidity of the poly-phasic sleep schedule is a huge downside, and to some extent, this is true. However, it is not like mono-phasic sleepers have a flexible schedule. My friend that I was on the phone with eventually had to call it a night and head for bed. It was only about 1/2 hr past his usual bedtime, and he was worried about the consequences for himself in the morning. I think that the real downside to the poly-phasic schedule is not that it is rigid, but that it does not align with socially excepted norms. I would think that in countries where siestas are more common, that one might be able to do a tri-phasic sleep schedule with no social consequences at all.
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