Intro to Polyphasic Sleep | First attempt (lasted 30 days) | Second Attempt (lasted 7 days) | Third Attempt (ongoing)
Day 2 was a rather big success! I stuck to my nap-schedule, never overslept and got quite a bit of my to-do list done. Only problem is I’ve felt like dying the entire time. Yup, I’m suffering the “polyphasic zombies” all over again.
For the most part I’ve stuck to my predetermined naps, only deviating by 10 or 15 minutes at the most. The naps have been 1am, 4am, 7am, 10am, 1pm, 4pm, 7pm, 10pm (all 20 minutes long, regardless of how long it takes me to actually fall asleep). For all but the evening hours, it’s been hell making it through the 3 hours between naps, including during the day. It’s AGONY getting up. Pure, torturous hell. I don’t remember it being this hard on my first attempt, but maybe it was. Every time that stupid alarm goes off I force myself to jump out of bed, every single bone in my body screaming “OH GOD I’M DYING, GO BACK TO SLEEP OH GOD!!!” Not fun. And that feeling has been lasting about an hour or two after every nap, meaning I’m only getting 1-2 hours of OK-ness out of every 3. Uggh.
Just like during the initial few days of my first attempt, the naps themselves aren’t doing anything to satiate my sleep-debt. I feel like I enter a black hole and when they alarm goes off I’m yanked out of it. I have no idea how long I’ve been asleep (of course it’s always 20 minutes but it feels like years). It’s like I cease to exist for a period of time. I’m not having those awesome dreams I was having during my first attempt at polyphasic sleep, and I really miss them. I can’t wait to have them again.
I desperately need sleep because of the horrible sleep deprivation, but I feel worse after each nap so part of me doesn’t want to lay down for them. Knowing I have no choice makes it easier to stomach though. The one positive I’ll note is I’m getting faster at falling asleep. I’m not at the stage I was at during my first attempt (I could fall asleep within 30 seconds, almost every single time). It’s taking 2 or 3 minutes, but I’m happy with that for the moment.
I’ve had a strange side effect; one that I felt during my first attempt but forgot to report. My throat has been INSANELY dry. No amount of water or any other fluids has made a difference (including specific hydration drinks). It’s worst immediately after a nap but never really goes away. It’s annoying as hell :(
I’ve keep busy and have been more productive than my first attempt at polyphasic (though I’ve very much had to fight the lethargy and force myself to be productive). I’ve done more chores around the house than usual, due to all the free time I’ve had. In the early hours of this morning I went out on the balcony and watched the world pass me by. It’s so incredibly peaceful at night with nobody around and very few cars. I got my tripod and my zoom lens and spent an hour or two snapping some shots of some of the buildings in the area. It was a very tranquil exercise, and it reminded me of why I’m putting myself through adaption-hell in order to re adapt to this crazy and wonderful thing called polyphasic sleep. I get to be awake while the rest of the world sleeps.
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