biologically are 2 four hour sleep shifts just as good as 1 eight hour sleep shift?

If i turn to day around sleep instead of traditional will i be tired or need extra hours?

I would think its the same but I heard about the most important sleep being the 6th through 8th hour and wonder if thats just a myth or not.

8/22/2007 3:29:13 PM

No, you would only get 4 full sleep cycles in each day.

8/22/2007 3:31:33 PM

There was a study about REM sleep and suchlike, that proposes a few 2-hour naps throughout the day at certain times. Can't remember exact details, but it's hard to achieve considering the regular 9-to-5 workday, school, and etc.

8/22/2007 3:33:19 PM

You will feel like utter shit in between those two sleep shifts.

You will also be tired the rest of the time you are awake.

8/22/2007 3:46:07 PM

This thread is better answered by imagining the human metabolism system like a car's engine.

8/22/2007 3:47:25 PM

Well if you kept doing it for like a month or so, your body would probably adapt to be able to operate fine with it. You would be surprised at well your body can adapt to things like that. It would suck to get used to though.

8/22/2007 3:49:01 PM

well considering im basically doing one right now might as well add a 2nd one lol. i do stuff all day even though im tired (thinking it will help me go to sleep early) then night comes and im wide open. end up falling to sleep at 3 and waking up at 7. might as well add a 4-8pm nap.

8/22/2007 3:54:47 PM

Did you never watch the Seinfeld episode where Kramer tried to do something like this?

8/22/2007 4:15:32 PM

Biologically, that's not even close to one 8-9 hour shift. (in terms of health)

But, a lot of people do it, you can adapt to it.

For 1.5 years, with a 3 month break in the middle, I did a 4hr-2hr split. I was fine. But at the beginning of that 3 month break, when my responsibilities ended, I was literally burnt out.

8/22/2007 4:17:23 PM

For about a year I only slept 3 hours or so a night 5am-8am and after a few weeks it wasnt that bad, now that I am on a normal sleep schedule though I find myself falling asleep all the time around midnight even if I dont want to. As others said it sucks getting used to but once you body does things continuously it tends to get easier.

8/22/2007 4:18:03 PM

^ WTF were you doing and/or what drugs were you on

8/22/2007 4:27:38 PM

I also used to get 3 hours of sleep a night on weekdays for a year. Now I can't remember how I survived that year.

8/22/2007 4:29:01 PM

world of warcraft.

8/22/2007 4:29:50 PM

i still only go on about 4-5 hours of sleep, been doin it for about 6 years now with no problems

8/22/2007 4:36:50 PM

You don't actually need 8 hours of sleep. Most healthy adults only really need about 6 hours.

8/22/2007 4:38:57 PM

I get between 5-6 hours a night...have since I stated college.

When I was at sea for extended deployments, I went months with no more than 3-4 hours of sleep in a row. It is perfectly fine from my experience. Most of my days consisted of a 2 hour and a 3-4 hour down time (one during the day, one at night).

8/22/2007 5:20:01 PM

oh, you can do it, you'll just always be tired

[Edited on August 22, 2007 at 6:01 PM. Reason : in my own experience atleast]

8/22/2007 6:00:33 PM

there are some people who swear by polyphasic sleep cycles


usually a 3 hour sleep during the night time hours and a 90 minute "nap" during the day


i think its difficult to get started and to find out which sleep times are good for you but its something i will look into when i really need all the awake hours i can get

8/22/2007 6:03:06 PM

I generally sleep 5 hours at night and then a short nap after work. Occasionally I'll sleep in on a day off and then I feel really great.

8/22/2007 6:22:11 PM

i still feel like a teenager. i need about 10+.

8/22/2007 7:41:20 PM

Quote :

"there are some people who swear by polyphasic sleep cycles usually a 3 hour sleep during the night time hours and a 90 minute "nap" during the day"

I thought the true polyphasic sleep cycle was sleeping 20 min of every hour of the day.

Apparently this is better for your body, and gives you a lot more time to work, even though you still sleep 33% of the day.

It is terribly hard to get into it, but again apparently, once you do, it is very easy to maintain it. Of course, most people's jobs preclude this kind of sleeping pattern.

See the wiki entry.

8/22/2007 8:33:05 PM

^?

8/22/2007 8:55:49 PM

4hrs of sleep a night is PLENTY.........PLENTY

8/22/2007 8:59:51 PM

me and my friends did this for a few days in a row when we were hunting and partying a few days in a row. We would party all night then sleep for 4 hours then go hunting and would go back to sleep around 11 and wake up around 3 and go out hunting again and then party and repeat the cycle. I didn't think it would work but i was fine and never felt tired.

8/22/2007 9:29:45 PM

no, its not the same.

You will build up sleep debt over time and its going to take its toll on your body. You cant ever catch up on sleep. Time time it takes for your body to reach REM sleep is fairly static, and only REM sleep gives your body and brain the rest and processing time it needs. In order to get an equivalent 8 hours of continuous sleep, youd need two 5 hour stints (possibly less, it depends on how long it takes you to reach REM)

8/22/2007 9:39:34 PM

i slept 13 hrs last night and that was about right for me.

8/22/2007 10:23:57 PM

the people who do the solo around the world sailing races only sleep for 15 mins at a time

8/22/2007 10:32:37 PM

this guy in my HS tried to go sort of nocturnal his senior year. he'd go to school from 7:00 - 2:30 roughly, go to soccer practice till 5 or so, eat dinner, sleep from about 7:00pm - 3:30am, then do HW till he had to go back to school

he lasted about 4 days

8/22/2007 10:38:18 PM

My mom worked nights while my dad worked days, and she'd sleep in two 3 hour shifts to be able to bring us to school, make dinner, ect. Sure, it can be done, but the physical toll on her body after 10 years proves it's not the best option

8/23/2007 9:18:16 AM

Quote :

"^ WTF were you doing and/or what drugs were you on"

I was working two jobs in an effort to get my debt payed off as quickly as possible. I was working 8:30-5 in the afternoon, going home and doing whatever, then going back and working 11pm-4am or so. Some days if I had nothing to do I would catch an hour or so nap in the afternoon but most nights it was about 5-8am. Granted weekends I was sleeping way more than 3 hours, but still I did that for nearly a year. And no it wasnt world of warcraft haha, that is the time period I actually didnt play that much.

8/23/2007 9:22:33 AM

Fold more proteins.

8/23/2007 9:31:18 AM

short answer - no

8/23/2007 10:24:37 AM

^

8/23/2007 10:47:06 AM

didn't kramer try that davinci sleep thing on seinfeld? it didn't work

8/23/2007 11:59:18 AM

just finished my pm 330-730 and i'll do the am version tonight and post back how i feel tomorrow.

8/23/2007 8:02:54 PM

My dog sleeps in shifts like that.

Of course, it also sleeps like 12 hours a day.

8/24/2007 11:01:24 AM

You don't need to sleep in college. A few hours here and there and a full night's rest before an exam and you'll be fine. Just don't try to continue that shit after you graduate and have to be awake and useful for 12+ hours straight, or you will not last long.

8/24/2007 1:54:33 PM

i'm generally up and out of bed by 5:15am, because most days I have stuff to do in the mornings before i have to be anywhere. so by the time i get back home at night, i eat a snack and pass out for a couple hours.

i always set the alarm for the next day when i wake up in case my naps turn into super slumber. but usually i catch a couple hours after work then wake up with a good second wind. then i do whatever until 11 or 12 and hit the sack again.

works a lot better than going to bed at 9 every night, and i feel a lot less tired. its got a lot to do with instant gratification i think

8/24/2007 2:09:45 PM

yes

8/24/2007 3:32:03 PM

my first night of doing it and i never had a more energized feeling morning/day. went to the gym for 4 hours and now i'm still feeling good and rested. this is the shit.

8/24/2007 7:03:53 PM

pls to report back after 3-4 months when you crash and burn

8/24/2007 7:07:18 PM

hahahahahah. no.

8/27/2007 1:37:31 PM

8/27/2007 1:52:47 PM

Will it be as good as a full eight hours? No.

Will it be sufficient for you to function during your waking hours? Certainly. As long as you aren't a brain surgeon or anything, the effect on your cognitive abilities shouldn't be too noticeable. The adjustment period will probably suck, just like any time your sleep cycle changes (new time zone, etc.), and it isn't advisable as a really long term choice, but I should think you could get through college on that schedule just fine.

8/27/2007 3:55:47 PM

my rule of thumb: if its at least a 3 hr nap, it is worth it. I can usually last on just those for several days.

8/27/2007 5:26:05 PM

A three to four hour and a one to one and a half everyday were fine with me all of last semester.

Some people can get by with two sessions, others can't. Just like some people need more than eight and others, like myself, never get eight. Even if I party all night, I will wake up naturally before I sleep for eight hours.

8/30/2007 12:53:22 AM

Quote :

"went to the gym for 4 hours"

What the fuck? Yeah you might feel good now, until you tear every muscle in your body. What the hell would you do at the gym for FOUR hours?!?!

I get roughly 7 hours of sleep a night (11-6) and I feel completely energized the whole day. It'll probably be a little less than 7 once classes start again since I'm taking a full compliment of grad classes and working still... I could do this sort of cycle since I work from 7-3 (switched hours to give myself time off before school) and have class from 6:30-10. I think I'll keep it the same though.

[Edited on August 30, 2007 at 1:10 AM. Reason : x]

8/30/2007 1:09:50 AM

basketball for four hours

8/30/2007 1:29:16 AM

I would definitely say that fucking with your sleep schedule is a bad thing.

Mine has been fucked up since I hurt my back, or for about 7 weeks now. It's starting to fuck with my head. Do not be like me, please, and make sure you get all your required sleep.

8/30/2007 1:42:25 AM