Interview about polyphasic sleeping

Alison Neubauer
Jrn 400 lab
Interview
1092

Sometimes it seems there just isn’t enough time during the day to get everything done. From getting school work done, to having a job, and having time for recreation, it can be hard to fit everything in. Architecture sophomore Alex Chin recognized this problem and is attempting a solution that he read about on the internet. This solution is a polyphasic sleep cycle in which a person takes multiple short naps throughout the day. His cycle specifically lets his body require only 3 hours of sleep per 24 hour period, maximizing his awake hours. I met with him to discuss how the cycle works, it’s effects and benefits.

Q: So, what exactly is the polyphasic sleep cycle?
A: The polyphasic sleep cycle is basically a way to make more time of your day when you’d rather be sleeping. You take 20 to 30 minute naps every 4 hours. Polyphasic means multiple naps per day. I’m specifically on the Uber Man which calls for 6 naps per day.”

Q: Uber man?
A: The Uber man. It’s exactly what it sounds like. But there are a variety of polyphasic schedules and I’m on the 6 nap schedule.

Q: What other kinds of schedules are there?
A: There’s the Dymaxiom which calls for 4 naps per day. A half hour each so essentially 2 hours a day for sleeping. There’s the Every Man. It bases its central theory off a core nap which is around 3 and a half hours and 2 to 3 other naps throughout the day which are 20 minutes each.

Q: How did you hear about these sleep cycles and what made you choose the Uber Man?
A: I first learned about it in high school and it was very ideal but your in high school and you cant take a 20 to 30 minute naps during an 8 hour day so it was not until I came across it again on the internet in college that I decided tonight’s the night I’m going to start doing it, and I did it.

Q: Who came up with the sleep cycles? You say you found it on the internet but who?
A: There are rumors that Leonardo da Vinci was on the polyphasic cycle and that’s how he created all his inventions, Thomas Edison, Ben Franklin. There’s no evidence but the fact there are such rumors shows that maybe it was true.

Q: So why did you decide to go on the sleep cycle?
A: Mainly because of my major. My major is very labor intensive. It’s architecture. Sophomore year is my year right now and it’s the worst year of undergraduate school. So I’ve decided to take advantage, over break, to train myself and by school id be on the polyphonic, in which I am right now

Q: So you started over winter break? And been doing this since then?
A: Yeah pretty much. You get your slip ups, every once and a while you over sleep a little. Otherwise its going great. I have more energy than I had on the monophasic sleep cycle which is the regular, one sleep a day, and it’s wonderful. It’s even helped me out with late assignments in which I did not know I had. I met a friend the other day and he was like ‘you have a quiz tomorrow.’ Had I been on the monophonic cycle it would have been quite a repercussion, but since I’m on the polyphasic I studied all night and aced the test.



Q: That’s pretty good. What’s the transition from the regular sleep cycle to the polyphonic cycle like?
A: I happened to be able to stay up a lot. My schedule called for me to stay up so the training wasn’t too hard. There’s 2 days around day 7 to 10 when the adaptation period is hardest. That’s when my cycle from 4am to 8 am literally killed me. I was probably, for lack of better words, the most f***** up I’ve ever been and I was sober.

Q: So do you feel normal? What does your body and mind feel like?
A: My body is fine. I work out on a regular basis and once your adapted you can do everything you can on a regular sleep schedule and as far as mentally I’m sharper than before because on a monophasic sleep cycle you can always be sharp in the beginning of the day but as the day drags on your mind will be less alert. In polyphasic napping you always have the beginning of the day.

Q: How long do you think you will or can keep this up?
A: Honestly ill probably keep it until I’m bored with it. That’s pretty much straight up. Because, if one day I want to hibernate like a bear, I will sleep 8 hours a day. Otherwise sleep is a tax on life in my opinion. Sleep is for the weak.

Q: What do you do with all of your extra time?
A: Alright, well, I want to say I’m an artist but I like to draw a lot. I have projects, in which case, I use my extra time to develop my projects.

Q: What are some obstacles you had to overcome or are you pretty much into it by now?
A: I am pretty much into it by now and what’s great about the polyphonic is that it’s very flexible and its not always every 4 hours, but when your starting off, and you’re a student, you want to drink, you want to smoke, but that definitely deters your sleeping habits. In which case I had to abstain from it or else it would make me oversleep and I’d have to start over again. Right now it was definitely worth while

Q: What has the sleep cycle done for you?
A: The sleep cycle has made me more positive. Like the fact that I can do anything I want to while everyone else is sleeping gives me a positive outlook on life.

Q: What do your friends and family have to say about this?
A: Well, my mother, actually she semi-supported it during break but now that school started I have not told her I was on the sleep cycle for lack of responsibly on my part. My friends, they think I’m crazy but that’s alright because crazy is good…sometimes and as long as I get to do what I want to do it’s not a problem.

Alex Chin
1-847-287-7725
Iamthechin1@gmail.com