To your main question, “Does it work?”, I would say this: Absolutely, IF properly adapted-to. The consistency of the schedule in the early days (1-2 months) is crucial. You won’t be tired after week one or two (depending on the type of schedule), but you have to stick to it without oversleeping anyway, or it won’t “take” and you’ll remain sleep-deprived. Doing the first weeks without oversleeping is hard work, but thankfully there’s quite a bit of tips out there now from people who’ve done it successfully. I didn’t quite have that luxury.

Best of luck!
PD

I like it. Just the fact that you’re trying this is inspirational. It’s interesting… I read all of Steve’s polyphasic log’s back in 2006 too. Also… more recently than that I found a youtube video journal of someone who did polyphasic. That was very interesting. At the time I watched it he wasn’t done with his trial, but I haven’t seen the rest… I should look into it. I believe he was calling it “uberman”.

Anyway… keep up the posts. I would like to know more specifics about your diet/exercise routine. If I try this, I would like to prepare thoroughly beforehand (even if that means giving up coffee).

Oh, and thanks for the link to Puredoxyk. I’m going to check that out. There does seem to be a very small amount of information on polyphasic sleep out there.

Thanks for sharing what you read. I’d imagine he didn’t study any polyphasers which makes it a moot point for me. I’d imagine the under 5 hours was probably studied in the traditional block sleeping style; meaning those results are really only valid for that type of sleeper.

I have a large list of goals I’m working on, and I’ll be using the extra time to put time in towards those goals. All the stuff you mentioned is on the list.

Next, I read an article a week or two back about a professor who did a study (maybe Maryland University?) and the study in a nut shell said anyone who gets less than 5 hrs of sleep a day and more than 10 will physically die sooner than someone who sleeps between 5-10 hrs a day.

I like that you are experimenting with this. I should probably try this considering I hate sleeping. I was wondering though, what do you plan on doing in the 21 hrs a day you are awake, say around 4AM? Read and write for the most part? Or run/bike?

Good stuff Tom.