My Polyphasic Sleep Log page 3

[Primal Toad]

Not necessarily. Between babies crying, making sure the fire doesn't go out, being on rotational watch to make sure nobody gets eaten by large predators, sneaking out before the sun rises to catch birds in their nests, and finding a good spot to start the day's hunting from, sleeping all night is a rarity in tribes that live outside. Most large predators are nocturnal, so it makes sense to sleep in naps during the day, that way you are alert for your watch at night. Also, it's much cooler at night (particularly on the African Savannah) so lots of things would happen at night, like socializing around the fire, etc.

+1

Time for a 20 minute nap.

[Kelda]

There are lots and lots of physiological hormonal changes that occur in the brain during sleep I'd be interested hear Emily Dean's take on this one.

As soon as I drop down to this kind of sleep schedule (by accident not design) my appetite is completely thrown and cravings kick in, cortisol is raised and I generally feel stressed out!

May be there is also a male/female and an age issue going on here!

[Nutritionator]

If I've learned anything from going primal/paleo it's that the only reason you really need to do something is because it makes you feel better. You guys brought up some good points and I can definitely see Grok not getting a full night's rest every night. I always feel more tired after I take a nap and prefer to get my rest in one big chunk, but my lifestyle also permits me to do so not having kids yet and a flexible job schedule. I didn't mean to sound like I was attacking anyone, I'm just curious as to the science behind polyphasic sleeping, I'm a numbers kind of guy. I'll have to do some research on my own but if you had any references for me to check out, I'd love to go through them. Thanks!

[CoyoteVick]

I also think age plays a huge part in this. In your teens-late 20's, you would have been expected to be more "on watch", this is also the time when women would have been having babies, so it makes sense that during those years, sleeping in shifts would work best. However, as a person got older, they wouldn't be expected to be on watch, so they would be able to have the luxury of sleeping more at night. This also makes sense, because the older members of the tribe would be the ones watching the younger children during the day while the middle age people would be out hunting/gathering.

I think the bottom line is that we can't re-create what is "natural" for us. So our best bets are to sleep the way our bodies want to sleep. If you feel refreshed and rested after sleeping through the night, go for it. If you don't, maybe a modified sleeping schedule would help. Same with anything else. If it feels good for you, do it. If it doesn't work for you, then don't!

[Nutritionator]

+1 for CoyoteVick, couldn't agree more.

[Paleobird]

+1 for CoyoteVick, couldn't agree more.

Exactly. Age is a huge factor. When I was Todd's age, I powered though on 4-5 hours a night with maybe a short nap and felt great. Now I need my 8-9 hours.
Plus, I don't think of sleep time as "wasted time" at all where I could be out doing something "important". I enjoy sleeping. It is important. To me.

[Digby]

Go for the uberman schedule.

I want to watch you go completely insane from sleep dep.

I got crankier, and put on weight!

[Digby]

I did a sleep study and lots of research, and people have lots of different sleep patterns. What is important is that you feel rested from your sleep. My mother never slept more than four hours a night, but when she would sit down, immediately her head would drop and she would get a 3-5 minute nap. Even though a heavy woman, she had more energy than anybody I've ever known; never stopped, always busy. I would be happy as a polyphasic sleeper, but my hearing gets in the way: I hear noises of the morning, cars going down the lane, my spouse, a rooster at the neighboring horse farm, etc. Prior to 50s, I was always happy with seven hours a night, and didn't nap. If I could do the five minute nap, I would feel better, but I tend to got 15-20 and get groggy. Main thing, is do you feel rested!

[Kelda]

I got crankier, and put on weight!

I would almost certainly think that was due to increased cortisol, known to be involved in appetite and a fat storer (this is part of the story I'm looking at just now in terms of the male/female difference).

[Digby]

I would almost certainly think that was due to increased cortisol, known to be involved in appetite and a fat storer (this is part of the story I'm looking at just now in terms of the male/female difference).

Was at the peak of my career and living at a very high stress, so Yes.