Different sleep modes. Alternative ways to sleep

A large amount of work, irregular sleep and poor nutrition have a negative impact on human health. Daily routine for healthy image life, the foundations of which are developed by specialists, is based on regularity. In order for the body to function effectively, you need to get up and go to bed at the same time, and eat according to the clock. This will allow physiological systems tune in in advance certain type activities and then carry them out most effectively.

The regime also involves alternating activity and rest. This allows the body to recover and not waste unnecessary resources. Today doctors say that many modern diseases, primarily stress and depression, are associated with disruption of the daily routine. Night activity leads to the fact that the body expends a lot of energy and does not have time to rest. As a result, the system malfunctions and the person gets sick.

Sample daily routine for men

Different from women's. Therefore, it is advisable to create your own regimen for each gender. The daily routine for a healthy lifestyle in men differs primarily in that it should include more time for physical activity. Representatives of the stronger sex need to train the body with strength exercises, as well as develop endurance through running and walking. Day healthy man starts at 6-7 am with exercises to warm up the muscles. Breakfast should make up at least 35% of everything daily ration. Young people need to move more. Therefore, after breakfast, it is best to take a walk lasting 20-30 minutes. It's good to get used to getting to work on foot or by bike.

Mature representatives of the stronger sex should devote a lot of time to cardio training: at least 3 times a week. The optimal daily routine for a healthy lifestyle in young and middle-aged men should include 5-6 meals, but all main food should be consumed before 16 hours. At any age, it is better to go to bed at 22-23 hours. Before going to bed, you should not overload your brain with reading or watching TV. It's better to take a walk or listen to music. It’s better to move sex into a man’s schedule to morning hours. At this time, the body is best prepared for this.

Optimal regimen for women

Female physiology is focused on fertilization, pregnancy and childbirth. Therefore, girls need a special daily routine. When planning your day, you need to remember the monthly cycles that affect the tone and hormonal background. Therefore, the regime may vary depending on the stage of the cycle. Correct routine days for a healthy lifestyle for girls should include sufficient quantity physical activity. This should mainly include cardio exercises and stretching exercises. Yoga classes and various breathing practices are excellent. A girl should get used to getting up and going to bed early from a young age. She needs to sleep at least 8-9 hours a day, preferably between 10 pm and 6 am. The daily regimen should include three full meals and 2-3 snacks.

A competent daily routine for a healthy lifestyle of a middle-aged and older woman should also include physical activity. It's good if it's yoga or Pilates. You need to do gymnastics or fitness 3 times a week for at least 40 minutes and devote 15-20 minutes to warm-up every day. After thirty years of age, it is very important for women to get enough sleep. But sleeping more than 8 hours is no longer worth it. After 50, you can reduce your sleep time by 1 hour.

Daily routine and age

The older a person gets, the more strength the body needs to fight aging. A thoughtful daily routine for a healthy lifestyle in your 40s should take into account age-related sleep needs. To be healthy, you need to sleep at least 7 hours. Doctors recommend devoting more time to rest and literacy physical activity. Food requirements decrease after forty. Therefore, you need to reduce portions, especially meat and simple carbohydrates, but do not reduce the number of meals.

Child's daily routine

You need to take care of your health from the very beginning early age. This is why daily routine is so important for children. At this time, habits are formed that will accompany a person throughout his life. Do not neglect discipline and teach your child to live by the hour. The child must be raised at 7 am and put to bed at night no later than 9 pm. Children need large quantities sleep. Therefore, children under 6 years old should also sleep during the day. The correct daily routine for a healthy lifestyle in children should include walks, preferably 2 times a day, time for activities and 5-6 meals.

From an early age, you need to accustom your toddler to daily physical activity. It could be morning exercises and active games every day. The first walk for preschoolers is good before lunch, the second - at 17-18. You can take your baby for a walk in the park before bed, but don’t let him get too stressed. The daily routine for a healthy lifestyle of a schoolchild is adjusted to the classes in educational institution. Daytime naps are removed from the schedule, but after lunch the child should have the opportunity to rest. For example, while reading a book. A student should go to bed at 21:00 in order to get a good night's sleep before getting up at 7:00 am. A daily routine, as the basis of a healthy lifestyle, is important for every age group.

People spend one third of their lives sleeping; this is an important process in their body. A person cannot stay awake, but a night's rest does not always bring relief. How to sleep correctly, is it possible to save time on it and be cheerful and active - these are the most popular questions for many people.

What is sleep

There is still no single scientific definition. A rough description of this phenomenon sounds like this:

(lat. somnus) - natural physiological state, characterized by a reduced reaction to the outside world.

The study of this phenomenon began relatively recently - about 50 years ago. Before this, information about what happens to a person in this state was quite primitive and abstract. There were beliefs that the soul goes to some astral travel, and all dreams are impressions and echoes of such travels. And although the science of sleep - somnology - is developing very actively and rapidly and has learned much more than in the entire existence of mankind, there are still a lot of mysteries in this area.

It is reliably known that during oblivion the following reactions occur:

• the sleeper is in relative peace and relaxation;
• the sleeper’s perception of reality is somewhat limited, but not completely - some senses still work;
• various cyclical reactions occur in the brain, which differ from the reactions of the brain during wakefulness;
• active regeneration of cells throughout the body occurs;
• the information received during activity is organized;
• neurons rest and energy accumulates for the formation of new neural connections;
• blood circulation slows down, pulse decreases, becomes deep and slow;
• Only the stomach is actively working, the pace of work of the rest internal organs decreases, body temperature decreases.

A person spends 7-8 hours a day in the kingdom of Morpheus. This time is divided into several cycles, approximately 4-5. Each cycle consists of a slow and a fast stage. Each stage is caused by activity in one lobe of the brain.
The slow phase consists of three stages:

• Stage I- drowsiness, immediately after falling asleep, lasts quite a short time, quickly disappears due to external stimuli, breathing, eye movements slow down, absurd thoughts and dreamlike hallucinations appear;
• Stage II- light, shallow, this phase takes up more than half of the total sleep time, the activity of all muscles, breathing, temperature decreases, but a person in this phase is still easy to wake up;
• Stage III- slow deep dream or delta phase: it is very difficult to wake up a sleeping person, all processes are slowed down as much as possible, brain rhythms are reduced to 2 GHz; in this phase, various disorders may occur, as a result, sleepwalking and talking in a dream appear.

After the end of the third phase, the fast stage begins or REM phase. During this phase, brain activity increases, eyeballs they begin to move quickly, all processes in the body are activated, but the muscles, on the contrary, become constrained and seem to be paralyzed. This period accounts for greatest number dreams. But even during such activity, waking up a person is still problematic.

Did you know? Musical group R.E.M. named after the rapid phase of sleep.

After the end of REM sleep, one cycle ends, which lasts 90 minutes, and a new cycle begins from the first stage slow phase. It is best to wake up between 90-minute cycles. In this case, the person feels cheerful and rested and easily gets out of bed.
The study of brain function and the activity of the body as a whole made it possible to determine basic sleep purposes for humans:

• rest for the muscles and organs of the body;
• replenishment of body energy;
• cleansing the body of toxins;
• memorization and formation of long-term memory;
• analysis general condition body and correction of identified deficiencies;
• formation of cells, including cells.

Benefits of healthy sleep

The positive properties of sleep determine it benefits for human health:

• health promotion and wound healing, treatment of diseases;
• complete rest for the whole body;
• maintaining a good figure - with lack of sleep, a feeling of hunger appears and weight gain begins excess weight;
• preservation normal attention and concentration;
• prevention of depression;
• disclosure of creative abilities.

Not sleeping: harmful to health

It would seem that a person sleeps quite a lot - a third of his life is spent sleeping. Is it possible to sacrifice this time and spend it on study, entertainment or work? History and research suggest that doing this is extremely harmful. Suffice it to remember that deprivation of this type of rest was one of the methods of torture and even execution.

With prolonged wakefulness, the following consequences are observed:

• impaired glucose absorption and, as a consequence, the development diabetes mellitus;
• muscle pain;
• color blindness;
• visual impairment;
• depression;
• psychosis, attention and concentration disorders;
• hallucinations;
• tremor of the limbs;
• pain in the head, throat, nausea.

It turns out that refusing to travel to Morpheus is a rather dangerous idea, and it is undesirable to do so.

Sleep-wake schedule

Any extreme is harmful, and the secret of success will be in the golden mean - the correct mode of rest and wakefulness. And here you need the right approach and some preparation.

What time do you go to bed?

Both ancient mystics and modern scientists have identified several time zones in which it is recommended to go to bed. They can be characterized as follows: fall asleep as close to sunset as possible. That is optimal time falling asleep - from 22.00 to 23.00. It is during this period that the part of the brain that is responsible for the mind and psyche rests. Therefore, those who go to bed after 23.00 have impaired mental activity. If you continue to stay awake after 11 pm, your vitality also begins to decline.
At first, negative changes will not be noticeable, but over time they will accumulate and make themselves felt.

Important!Therefore, it is necessary to follow the regime and go to bed around 22.00. This rule is true for both children and adults.

Healthy sleep

To sleep properly and healthily, you need to follow these rules:

• You should always go to bed at the same time - both on weekdays and on weekends;
• two hours before going to bed you should not take any food;
• no need to drink alcohol or other tonic drinks, herbal ones are better - they will help you relax and calm down;
• will help you fall asleep Fresh air, it’s best to take a leisurely walk or go out onto the balcony;
• you need to clear your mind of worries and thoughts, get in the mood for the night: don’t watch TV, but rather read, knit, do a calm activity that will calm and relax, for example, a warm bath is good for relaxation and sets you up for rest;
• ventilate the bedroom;
• you need to sleep in the dark or with a dim, dim night light;
• It is not recommended to look at your phone during or before falling asleep - bright light the screen will drive away drowsiness and bring the body into an excited state;
• you need to sleep comfortably, preferably with a minimum of clothing, it is better to cover yourself with another blanket so as not to freeze;
• the bed should be flat, not too soft, but not hard;
• You need to wake up slowly, smoothly; calm music with increasing volume and gradually increasing light in the room are suitable as an alarm clock.

These simple rules will help you sleep peacefully and fully.
There is no definite data on the duration of rest, because for some people 3-4 hours is enough, and for others 8 hours is not enough. Research conducted by the US National Sleep Foundation, after studying more than 300 scientific works about sleep, showed that the norm varies depending on the age of the person, that is, the younger the person, the more time is required.

Here's a breakdown of sleep times by age group:

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It is this length of night's rest that will allow you to be calm, focused and active for the rest of the day.

How many hours to sleep during the day

It has long been known that children under 6-10 years old need to sleep during the day. But do adults need to sleep and how beneficial is it for them?

Did you know? Winston Churchill claimed that the secret of his productivity was in full daytime sleep. And in Japan and China, day rest for workers is the norm in most enterprises.

Scientists from the French Association for the Study of Sleep, conducting round-the-clock temperature measurements, determined that at night a person’s temperature drops between 3 and 5 o’clock - these are the so-called “bull” and “wolf” hours: intervals when you especially want to sleep. But during the day, from 13 to 15 hours, a similar picture was recorded - body temperature decreased, although not as much as at night. These data allow us to conclude that you need to sleep twice a day.

A short immersion in the kingdom of Morpheus during the day will allow the body to rest and relieve accumulated tension, increase attentiveness and improve reaction; at this time, joy hormones - endorphins and serotonin - are released into the blood. People who allow short nap breaks during the day reduce their risk of heart attacks and strokes.

During the day, complete rest for one or two hours is not always possible, so you need to sleep without plunging into a deep stage. That is, a nap for twenty to thirty minutes will bring relief and freshness, while a nap for more than 40 minutes will “give” a feeling of heaviness in the head and a decrease in reaction.

What happens if you sleep a lot

Sleeping too much is just as harmful as not getting enough sleep. Research by Harvard University scientists conducted from 1986 to 2000 shows that with prolonged sleep (more than 9 hours), practically the same deviations appear as with lack of sleep:

• memory and concentration are impaired;
• labor productivity decreases;
• the risk of developing obesity and diabetes increases;
• blood circulation is disrupted, in particular the blood supply to the brain, causing headaches;
• depression occurs.

The state of excessive lethargy and prolonged sleep is called hypersomnia, she is called various injuries headaches, mental disorders, apnea. Often appears in adolescents or as a result of taking narcotic drugs.

Therefore, sleeping more than 12 hours, difficulty waking up, lethargy and dozing during the day can serve. In this case, it is better to see a doctor and get examined.

How to sleep less and get enough sleep

Using knowledge of sleep phases and monitoring the sleep of infants, elderly people and some animals in the 20th century, it was developed polyphasic sleep theory. The main idea of ​​this theory is to divide the rest time into parts throughout the day. As a result, the quality of sleep improves and its duration decreases. The reduction occurs due to a decrease in the number and duration of the slow phase. After all, the main beneficial features, including rest, occur only in the REM sleep stage, which accounts for 20-25% of the total rest time.

There are several options for polyphasic sleep:

1. Dymaxion- 4 times for 30 minutes every 6 hours = 2 hours.
2. Uberman- 6 times for 20 minutes every 4 hours = 2 hours.
3. Everyman- 1 time at night (1.5–3 hours) and 3 times during the day for 20 minutes = 2.5–4 hours.
4. Biphasic- 1 time at night (5 hours) and 1 time during the day (1.5 hours) = 6.5 hours.
5. Tesla- 1 time at night (2 hours) and 1 time during the day (20 minutes) = 2 hours 20 minutes.

The transition to a new regime requires careful preparation:

• first you need to get used to the regime - fall asleep and wake up at a strictly certain time;
• when adapting, start with biphasic sleep - sleep twice for three to four hours;
• transition to polyphasic rest, consisting of 3-4 hours of sleep at night and several rest periods during the day.

Important! You should know that this method of sleep is not recommended for people with heart problems, nervous system disorders, or adolescents.

One of the problems with this way of life is the inability to live in rhythm with others around you. Thus, Buckminster Fuller, one of the first who decided to switch to rest in the “Dymaxion” mode he created, was forced to abandon this type of sleep three years later, due to contradictions in the daily schedule with his companions. Steve Pavlina, who decided to repeat Fuller’s experience, also refused to continue this mode of life due to a lack of synchrony with the outside world.

Did you know? Among the adherents of polyphasic sleep and the first practitioners are Leonardo da Vinci, who slept for 15-20 minutes every 4 hours, as well as Salvador Dali, Peter the Great, Goethe. They all managed to rest in a very short time. And one of the variants of polyphasic sleep is named after Nikola Tesla. It is believed that Tesla rested in this mode.

One of these modes allows you to completely relax in a very short period of time. And although this method has not been thoroughly tested by science, numerous experiments and the experience of polyphasic sleep adherents confirm the theory that you can sleep little and be alert and active the rest of the day.

Video: practice of polyphasic sleep

Practice of polyphasic sleep: reviews

To be fully active, I sleep at least 8 times, preferably 9-10. If I don’t get enough sleep, then I just pass out either very early in the evening, or I can sleep for a day

http://saveyou.ru/forum/showpost.php?p=235583&postcount=25

I recently read about how you can increase the duration of the REM sleep phase, about the REM rebound effect. Everything is banally simple: you need to deprive yourself of the REM sleep phase a day before the intended practice. That is, for example, today we sleep from 11 pm to 5-6 am, interrupting the REM phase. The next day the body will try to compensate for the losses. I myself often have to get up early, and just the next day everything works out well with what was postponed.

http://forum.aing.ru/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=13023&sid=31c6d6c4072415d8f867bc77efce99a3&start=30

For myself, I decided to master the Everyman mode, I see it as the best, that is, I plan to take a 20-minute nap several times during the day, and at night as long as necessary. For me, the main thing is not to reduce sleep time, but to get enough sleep and phase. I plan to sleep in transport. As I already said, the most difficult thing is to learn to fall asleep quickly, while thinking about this problem I came across interesting method Steve Pavlina - how to fall asleep in 30 seconds. It is noteworthy that before I found it I decided to try something similar. The essence of the method is to convince your body that the sleep resource is limited, that is, if I now, quickly, do not fall asleep in a few seconds, but lie down and think about all sorts of nonsense, then this time will be at the expense of sleep time, and it will always be so. Only this trick will allow you to fall asleep in a few minutes. During the day you need to take one or several naps, a maximum of 20 minutes, maybe 5. This is in order to show the body - “here’s the time for you to sleep, if you don’t fall asleep, you won’t sleep, and it will always be like this.” This, of course, is also a variant of sleep deprivation, but not as severe as the classic transition to polyphasic sleep. In fact, nothing in the daily routine changes, you just need to clearly get up on the alarm clock, always limiting your sleep time to a certain time, no more, no less, and take a nap several times a day for 5-20 minutes. I also forgot to mention, I’ll have to get rid of caffeine (coffee, tea), this is also a problem for me, so I’ll switch to and herbal teas. I suspect that you can forget about the phase during the training period.

http://forum.aing.ru/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=13023

Sleep is still a mysterious phenomenon, but extremely necessary for a person, because it is impossible to live without sleep. Properly organized, it brings relief and relaxation, improves health, and therefore it is important to prepare for it. The following tips and recommendations will allow you to sleep peacefully and fully.

Since childhood, we have heard that we need to sleep 8 hours at night and always get up with the first roosters. However continuous 8-hour is just a tribute to civilization. After all, such sleeping mode was unnatural for humans just some 400–500 years ago. It turns out that our ancestors slept 2 times a night for 4 hours and at the same time felt great. Such interruption of sleep was not a problem for the people of that time, but, on the contrary, helped to work better and look great.

Why do we sleep differently?

The change in sleep patterns was caused by technical progress . The appearance of electric lights, lamps and other luminous devices on the streets has had a significant impact on our sleep.

For proper rest, a person needs to sleep in complete darkness. The fact is that only in complete darkness does our body produce the sleep hormone - melatonin, helping you fall asleep when the sun goes down. However, widespread illumination disrupts the production of this hormone, since even the weak light of a yard lamp interferes with healthy sleep.

On sleeping mode modern lifestyle also influences. Working with smartphones and sitting in front of a computer in the evening hinder melatonin production, which makes sleep restless and incomplete. In this case, even 8 hours of continuous sleep will not provide adequate rest.

In changing sleep patterns The work schedule itself is to blame. If previously a person woke up at 3–4 o’clock in the morning, and this was considered the norm, today few people working according to a standard schedule get out of bed before 6:00. The same shift occurred with bedtime. Late sleep does not fit in with the rhythm that our ancestors had. This is where all the sleep problems stem from.

Biphasic sleep of our forefathers

The main thing is not to try to forcefully rebuild your body. It is necessary to give him the opportunity to independently set his internal clock to rise at night. Two-phase sleeping mode may not suit everyone. Therefore, it is necessary to focus on your own well-being. It is in this case that your body and mind will work in unison with nature, and your productivity will only become higher.

Sometimes we hear from our acquaintances and friends complaints about the need to spend a third of our lives in sleep and complaints about the needless Lost time... But is this time really lost, because healthy sleep is a necessary component of a person’s full-fledged lifestyle, without it our existence would simply be impossible. William Shakespeare called the night's rest a miracle of Mother Nature and the most delicious dish on earth. In mythology Ancient Greece deep and healthy sleep was patronized by two gods - Hypnos and the god of dreams Morpheus.

But the modern pace of life, nervous overload, vanity, excessive enthusiasm for television programs or sitting at the computer for many hours destroy this necessary part of our existence, which has a very bad effect on human health.

The importance of a good night's rest for a person

It’s not for nothing that a good night’s rest is called the key to health. It promotes the production of a number of important hormones, in particular melatonin, the hormone of youth that restores vitality.

For lifestyle modern man characterized by neglect of sleep. However, it is during such a rest that the blood pressure, A correct mode protects against sleep chronic diseases, helps to launch self-healing mechanisms.

Certain areas of the brain work even more actively at night than during the day: impressions received during the day are analyzed, and selective selection of information occurs. The brain erases something, but more important information as if “archived” and sent to long-term memory. Thanks to these nighttime processes, perception improves, learning ability increases, and the ability to concentrate improves. It’s not for nothing that the wise Russian folk saying It says - the morning is wiser than the evening. Since ancient times, people have known that proper rest helps solve the most complex problems.

What does lack of sleep lead to?

If sleep patterns are disturbed long time, the body may face serious troubles: heart and vascular disease, the appearance of symptoms of diabetes, problems with the activity of certain parts of the brain. The fact is that due to insomnia, neural processes in the parietal zone of the brain are inhibited, and because of this, the reaction speed is significantly reduced, it becomes difficult to formulate thoughts, visual impairment is possible, which, of course, negatively affects the activity of the whole organism.

Negative consequences of poor sleep patterns:

• deterioration of thinking and cognitive functions brain;
• problems with immunity, he becomes more vulnerable. During sleep the immune system works and synthesizes special proteins - cytokines. They are necessary to fight infections. But if a person does not get enough sleep, then not enough cytokines are produced;
• Insomnia stimulates the production of the hunger hormone ghrelin. Because of this, night appetite syndrome often occurs, which leads to excess weight and obesity.

10 steps for proper night sleep

It is obvious that healthy sleep helps improve a person's lifestyle. Let's look at 10 factors that will help make your night's rest more healthy and invigorating.

1. Fresh air in the bedroom. The ideal temperature for sound sleep is 18-22 degrees. Indeed, such a temperature may seem too low to some, but it has long been proven that it is precisely this temperature regime that contributes to the most complete rest.
2. A comfortable and wide bed with a carefully selected mattress that should not be too soft.
3. No noise or operating devices. Experts do not advise sleeping in a room permeated with electromagnetic radiation, therefore, if there is Wi-Fi, computers, etc. in the bedroom, all this should be turned off at night.
4. It is difficult to imagine a modern lifestyle without using high technology. But before going to bed, you should not sit for a long time in front of the computer or TV. Japanese scientists have proven the fact negative influence such a pastime before going to bed for a night's rest.
5. Instead of a computer or TV, it is better to choose an old one good book in its traditional paper version. The tactile sensations of touching paper, the smell of a book - all this cannot be replaced by modern gadgets.
6. Certain scents promote healthy sleep. Avoid strong odors in the bedroom. But the aromas of citrus, lavender, sandalwood or lemon balm contribute sleep soundly. Of course, the choice of scents in the bedroom depends on personal preferences.
7. Strong recommendations are widely known not to eat before bedtime; you need to finish dinner 3 hours before you fall asleep. Somewhat less known are the effects of certain foods on sleep quality. For example, a light snack of fresh cherries or a cup of cherry juice can even increase the length of your night's rest. This berry contains a lot of melatonin, which is very conducive to healthy sleep. Calming Magnesium nervous system– also a necessary element, there is a lot of it in bananas.
8. Walking before a night's rest helps calm the nervous system and promote sound sleep.
9. A warm shower will literally “wash away” fatigue and nervous stress. Should not be taken in the evening cold and hot shower, it will be an ideal option for morning procedures, and in the evening it will only excite the nervous system, and it will be difficult to fall asleep quickly.
10. Positive thoughts before bed are very important. Even taking into account the busy lifestyle of a modern person, you should not think about work or personal problems before going to bed. In this case, it is better to take the example of the famous Scarlett from the novel “Gone with the Wind” and say to yourself: “I’ll think about it tomorrow.”

Circadian rhythms and sleep

Our lifestyle depends on certain daily allowances biological rhythms, they are called circadian rhythms. They determine the degree of intensity of all biological processes of the human body. These rhythms depend on sunlight, visual receptors react to it and send a signal to the brain. The consequence of the signals is the production of two vital hormones, melatonin and cortisol, which are responsible for sleep and awakening.

The pineal gland produces melatonin at nightfall. It calms the body, reducing both blood pressure and body temperature. When it gets light, the production of cortisol begins, it wakes a person up, gives him energy and vigor. Therefore, the correct sleep schedule involves an 8-hour night's rest, it is useful to fall asleep at 10 o'clock in the evening, and the most optimal time to wake up is 6 o'clock in the morning.

One might ask, what about “owls” and “larks”? After all, the rhythms of sleep and wakefulness can be individual. Unfortunately for some, this division is rather not natural feature, but a product of the lifestyle of a person in the post-industrial era. Therefore, it is better to try to rearrange your personal wakefulness schedule in accordance with more natural circadian rhythms for humans.

Polyphasic sleep is one of the sleep patterns that involves not the traditional eight hours of sleep all night (monophasic sleep), but several planned and clearly defined periods of sleep throughout the entire 24 hours. As a result, you sleep much more often (several times a day), but for less time. Proponents of a polyphasic sleep pattern are pleased that they free up several hours of free time per day, which they previously inevitably spent on sleep. However, it is worth noting that this sleep mode is not suitable for everyone. Sometimes military personnel and some athletes resort to polyphasic sleep.

Steps

Part 1

Graphs with the main night sleep segment

Choose the sleep mode that suits you best. During preparation, you need to understand which mode suits you best, based on your goal, schedule of classes or work, as well as the general condition of the body. There are four main modes of polyphasic sleep:

• Biphasic sleep, Everyman mode, Dymaxion mode and Uberman mode.
• Two of them are designed for sleeping both at night and in the evening. daytime. These include biphasic sleep and Everyman mode.
• The simplest and safe way switch to a polyphasic sleep mode - start by reducing sleep at night using one of these modes.

1. Let's consider biphasic sleep mode. The essence of this mode is that sleep time is divided into two segments. Typically, the longer segment occurs at night, and the shorter segment (lasting 20-30 minutes or 90 minutes) occurs in the first half of the day. This sleep pattern is widely used in many cultures because it not only saves time on sleep, but is also a neutral option in terms of health.

   • The shorter the daytime sleep segment (drowsiness, which allows you to recuperate), the longer the nighttime segment (during which all phases of sleep, including REM sleep) occur.
   • Biphasic sleep has several advantages over other polyphasic sleep patterns because it follows circadian rhythms and hormonal releases that help regulate sleep. Thanks to them, our body has adapted to sleep more at night than during the day.
   • Biphasic sleep is described in history as the “first” and “second” sleep. In a time before people knew how to use electricity, people slept for several hours just after dark, then stayed awake for several hours, and then went back to sleep and woke up at dawn with the first rays of the sun.
   • However, biphasic sleep is hardly suitable for those who want to free up as much time as possible for wakefulness, because in terms of sleep duration this mode is not very different from the usual monophasic sleep mode.

2. A convenient advantage is the ability to create your own sleep schedule with biphasic sleep mode. Your sleep schedule will depend on your school and work schedule, as well as the overall health of your body. This way, you can get the most out of this mode and adapt it to suit you.

   • So, break your sleep time into two segments. Each sleep segment should be long enough to allow enough time for rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Typically, a person needs about 5-6 periods of REM sleep during the day.
   • One normal cycle sleep (including REM sleep) takes about 90 minutes. Create a schedule in which each sleep segment includes 90-minute cycles.
   • For example, your main sleep segment would last from 1 am to 4:30 am, and your second sleep segment could last 1.5 hours (12 pm to 1:30 pm) or 3 hours (12 pm to 3 pm). It all depends on your schedule and capabilities.
   • Once you are more or less accustomed to the new schedule, try to gradually reduce your sleep time until the sleep is short enough, but you still feel good and alert.
   • There should be a break between sleep segments (at least 3 hours).
   • It is important not to oversleep or fall asleep ahead of time. Try following your sleep schedule for at least a week before making any changes.

3. Let's take a look at the Everyman mode. This regimen consists of a main sleep segment (about three hours) and three additional segments of 20 minutes each. If you still want to switch to a polyphasic sleep mode, which will save even more time for wakefulness, this option will most likely suit you. This mode is easier to transition to because it still has the main three-hour segment.

   Start gradually transitioning to your schedule. Try to stick to it for at least a week. You will most likely have problems at first because adjusting to polyphasic sleep patterns is not that easy. Once you have adjusted and become somewhat accustomed to your new schedule, you can break your 5 hours of sleep into 3 segments.

   • In this case, the main sleep segment can last about 4 hours, and the additional two segments can last 30 minutes each. If you work from 9:00 to 17:00, distribute these segments so that they fall during lunch and when you return from work.
   • Try to stick to your chosen regimen for at least a week. Don't change your routine until you get used to it.
   • After one to two weeks, you can adjust your sleep schedule by reducing the duration of your main sleep segment and adding another segment.
   • Eventually, if you continue to adjust your sleep pattern, you will achieve the following result: a main segment of sleep (3.5 hours) + three more segments of 20 minutes each.
   • Distribute your sleep and wake time so that it matches your study/work schedule as much as possible.

4. Stick to a sleep schedule. Try to strictly follow it, do not wake up or go to bed early. At first it will not be easy, because the body will begin to adapt to the new regime.

   • Don't worry if you can't stick to your routine at first. Some people have a harder time falling asleep, especially when every minute of sleep matters.
   • If you choose Everyman mode, be sure to stick to your schedule. Plan ahead when you need to get ready for bed.
   • Plan in advance what you will do in free time. It is unlikely that those around you also adhere to a polyphasic sleep pattern. Prepare in advance and make a to-do list. Focus on what you always wanted to do, but every time you didn't have enough time to do it. This will help you adapt to your new sleep pattern.

5. Adjust your schedule to best suit you. A very popular schedule is to divide sleep time into 4 segments, as described above (the main sleep segment and three additional ones). If necessary, you can adjust this schedule by rearranging the sleep segments to a different time.

   • This sleep pattern can be maintained on other schedules.
   • According to one graph, night sleep is reduced to 1.5 hours (instead of four), and there are 5 additional twenty-minute segments. There must be equal time intervals between them.

   Part 2

   Schedules without the main nighttime sleep segment

   1. So, if you're willing to take the risk of reducing your sleep hours even further, consider upgrading to Uberman or Dymaxion modes.

      • Both methods involve abandoning the main segment of sleep (nighttime). If you've already adapted enough to your previous sleep schedule and want to try something even more extreme, you can switch to one of these modes. Keep in mind, according to these charts, sleep time is only 2 hours per night.
      • A significant disadvantage of these modes is the difficulty of maintaining a sleep schedule, since you need to adhere to the schedule very strictly.
      • Before switching to these schedules, consider whether you can maintain a sleep schedule every day (depending on school, work and family plans).

   2. As mentioned above, these sleep patterns require about 2 hours of sleep per night. Make a schedule according to the Uberman regime.

      • It includes six sleep segments of 20 minutes each. There should be equal time intervals between these segments. You should strictly adhere to the schedule.
      • For example, you can arrange your sleep segments as follows: 1:00, 5:00, 9:00, 13:00, 17:00 and 21:00.
      • It is very important to sleep exactly 20 minutes and exactly according to the established schedule.
      • Uberman mode involves 20 minutes of sleep every 4 hours.

   3. If you find it very difficult to stay awake, try to concentrate on your plans and the to-do list that you made in advance. Now let's look at the Dymaxion mode.

   It's very similar to Uberman, but it's even harder to follow. The reason is that there are fewer sleep segments, but they last longer.

   Part 3

   1. How to prepare for polyphasic sleep patterns Learn . nap

      • Get into the habit of getting up earlier than usual, and during the day, don't be afraid to give in to the temptation to take a short nap after lunch.
      • Try to turn off your computer and gadgets at least 15 minutes before bed so that the bright light of the monitor does not bother you.
      • Go to bed at the same time so that your body adapts to the new routine faster.
      • When you lie down to take a nap, your heart rate slows down. Mentally count 60 heartbeats, then try to hear another 60. After your heart rate has slowed down, try to clear your mind of various thoughts.
      • Set an alarm for a specific time. When it rings, don’t say to yourself, “5 more minutes.” Get up as soon as the alarm goes off.

   2. Reduce your sleep time at night. You shouldn't do this abruptly. Just gradually reduce the amount of sleep you get at night.

      • First, set your alarm clock 3 hours earlier. Instead of sleeping 8 hours a night, sleep about 5 hours.
      • Stick to this schedule for three days.

   3. Set an alarm and stick to that sleep schedule. At first you will be a little uncomfortable, you will feel unusual. But over time, if you stick to the rules and wake up on time, the body will adapt to the new regime.

      • Place your alarm clock further away from your bed so you have to get up when you want to turn it off.
      • As soon as you get up, immediately turn on the light in the room.
      • If you have a lamp that simulates natural light, turn it on to help you wake up faster after each sleep segment.

   4. Think about your schedule. Before dividing your sleep into segments, think about work, school, family, and sports activities. Distribute everything in such a way that it is as convenient for you as possible. Remember that the schedule must be adhered to very strictly!

      • It is important to consider the fact that no one will adapt to your schedule. Make sure you have the ability to sleep in the middle of the day and live according to your schedule.
      • Don't forget about unplanned events that you didn't account for in your schedule. There should be enough time in your schedule that you can squeeze an event into it.

   5. Pay attention to the key factors in shaping the schedule. You can choose one of the existing templates, or you can create your own schedule (depending on what is more convenient for you). In any case, you need to know how many sleep segments there should be in each mode, what their duration is.

      • Whatever schedule you choose, make sure you get at least 120 minutes of REM sleep in total.
      • The intervals between sleep segments should be at least 3 hours.
      • Distribute your sleep segments as evenly as possible.
      • Think about what time is best to take a nap. If you can't, do the opposite: think about what time is best to be awake.
      • If you want to develop your own sleep schedule, consider the description of each sleep mode.