Day 3

And now begins the descent into hell (on earth). According to Aethelwine, whose experiment lasted for about 20 days, days 3 through 10 are absolutely miserable. That's about a week when I'm expected to be basically a zombie. Oddly enough, I feel incredibly awake right now. I can sit on the bed without any temptation to fall asleep. Definitely 10/10.

Regarding the out-of-ten system I've been using... I don't like it very much. Firstly, it's easy to forget whether I'm measuring alertness or tiredness (i.e. mixing up the two ends of the scale). Secondly, it's not very precise. (I know, measuring tiredness isn't very precise to begin with, but I like as much precision as I can get.) Halves would be annoying, but acceptable; any more decimals would be pushing it. Therefore, I think I'll switch to (whole number) percentages. Not only would it be out of 100, but when I comment that I'm running on, say, 85% full, it's self-evident that I mean 85% of maximum capacity.

Short term memory tests
Numbers: 10.85
Letters: 13
Words: 32

This is really strange. My "numbers" result for today has gone back done to approximately my day 1 number (though it's still a smidgen bigger), but my "letters" result is definitely greater, and my "words" result is a whole five words more! It shouldn't be happening like this; it's day 3! I'm supposed to be a great deal more sleep deprived now than I was two days ago. I'm less tired than I was at this time yesterday, to be sure, but day 1? Perhaps I am learning the test, so to speak. Even though the content is mostly randomized and changes each time, the format remains the same. Hypothesis subject to change, mind. We shall wait and see.

Day 2.2

I just took my evening block nap. The afternoon block went quite smoothly; I had three back to back classes, and was running mostly full in all of them. I zoned out for a few minutes in one of them, a lecture class, probably with a smattering of very short microsleeps (not more than 15 seconds each, I'd say), but I caught that pretty early. Besides, the lecture was quite good, so it wasn't hard to make myself focus on the professor. The rest of the time was definitely 10/10.

Day 2.1

It just got quite a bit more difficult. Towards the end of the dawn block, I was hit with this massive wave of sleepiness. I sort of had my eyes half-open, and was walking in circles in the small space that is my dorm room, because I knew if I sat down, I'd fall asleep. (3 out of 10 for the drowsy wave. It would be even lower, if I had not started walking.) There were definitely moments when I sat at my desk, doing absolutely nothing because I was completely drained of motivation, zoning out and staring at the wall, and then microsleeping a few times (I'd guess no more than 30 seconds each), and realizing I need to stay awake, and the knitting dangling from my fingertips just isn't doing it, leading to my getting up and pacing up and down the room. (Whew, run-on sentences!) But then I took my 6:30 am nap, and things got better.

The morning block nap was a bit of an adventure. I went out to the lounge, where someone had switched off all the lights (the lights are often on at night). I thought perhaps it was to conserve energy, and thought nothing of it. I went to the couch I took last night, and found that it, and a number of other couches, all had sheets and piles of blankets on them. My first thought (remember, I was tired) was Oh, how nice! Let me find the biggest, softest pile! And I almost sat on the poor guy before I realized that they were actually a bunch of drunk people who couldn't make their way back to their own dorms last night/this morning, and so had to stay over. The dorm had a party on a Wednesday night; can you believe it?

Anyhow, so I napped on a couch in the foyer instead. It was probably the shortest it has ever taken me to fall asleep. And I had a dream! I don't remember it very well, but I know my mother was in it, and something happened in the dream that caused me to wake up a few minutes before I was supposed to. I went back to sleep, and let the alarms wake me up.

Morning block has been fine. A little grogginess at the beginning, but that's mostly from waking up. After the shower (no mishaps this time!) I was really very awake (I'd venture a 10 out of 10). Showers are wonderful for waking me up. I might end up showering twice a day, when I get tired enough to need constant waking up.

Day 2

I'm starting to feel the drowsiness. I woke up from my 2:30am nap rather groggy, and this time, it didn't go away nicely like it did last time. I'm not having too much trouble staying awake; as long as I don't lie down, I should be fine. I can sit in a chair in front of the computer without too much difficulty; I don't need to resort to jumping jacks out in the cold or anything. Occasionally getting up and pacing around the room seems to mitigate most of the sleepiness. I'd call it a 6 out of 10, on the same scale as yesterday.

Short term memory tests
Numbers: 12
Letters: 11.57
Words: 25

Those results don't differ significantly from yesterday's. Actually, the "numbers" score even went up, which is odd, considering I'm definitely more tired now.

Day 1.3

I just finished the last nap of day 1. I actually snuck out of house meeting early to take my nap; I suppose my dorm will just have to get used to my scurrying off at 10:25.

Today went very smoothly; except for those few minutes in chemistry, I was completely awake and alert throughout. 9 out of 10 for the day, I'd say, 10 being least sleepy (quantitative system for measuring fatigue borrowed from Aethelwine's journal). I expect things to go downhill from here. After all, I am used to pulling all-nighters, but not consecutive ones (I've only done that once). Biking should get more and more interesting, methinks.

Funny how the length of each post decreases as the day goes on.

Day 1.2

I just took my afternoon block nap (2:30-2:50 pm). It's taking me less and less time to fall asleep, even with people puttering about in the hallway. I was actually somewhat tired when I laid down, having just come from a rather dull chemistry lecture. I zoned out a bit towards the end of the lecture, possibly with some microsleep, but I'd guess not more than 30 seconds each, nor 5 minutes total of zoning out. I didn't expect that on the first day (I am used to pulling all-nighters without ill effect), but I think I know why it happened. I use my phone as an alarm clock, see, and I had it right next to my ear. Eight minutes into my 10:30 am nap (I checked the time), somebody called me, and the phone woke me up! Interrupted naps are a terrible thing to have happen during adaptation phase. At least it wasn't several days in.

Day 1.1

Note(s) to self:

1. Wear socks when sleeping in lounge. My feet were cold when I woke up.
2. Clock timer not nearly loud enough. I was given this cute red clock for Christmas (It's egg-shaped, and weighted on the bottom so it doesn't fall over. It wobbles!), and I didn't want to have to keep reprogramming the alarm, so I used its countdown timer instead.

I'm starting to feel it, now, though I suspect it's because I woke up five minutes ago.

EDIT: A few kicks and stretches later, I'm completely fine again. Off to shower, and then perhaps I will scrounge up some breakfast at some point during this block. 3:40 is a hefty chunk of time! (I am imagining the space-time continuum breaking down into chunks, like stew. Mmm... space-time stew. Tastes like turtle. And four elephants.)

EDIT #2: I accidentally put body wash in my hair. (Go ahead, laugh; I don't mind.) It's not the first time that's happened, but it might be significant somehow. I have observed that body wash is less goopy than shampoo, but more goopy than conditioner. (Yes, I just spent a paragraph discussing hair-care products -- someone smack me now!)

Day 1

I am one nap into my adjustment period. Quite uneventful thus far. I didn't manage to fall asleep until the 20 minutes were almost over, but I'm not feeling at all sleepy. Heck, I'm sitting in my bed with a blanket over my shoulders, and I'm fine. It's sort of strange to think that back home (Eastern Standard Time Zone), my sister is already on the school bus. I would be getting to bed right about now, if I were still in vacation mode.

Several things have occurred to me...

1. This schedule may render the pyjamas in my wardrobe obsolete.
2. I can use the college website(s) at off-peak hours, even right before assignments are due. No more waiting ten minutes for a paper to upload!
3. I will have to find somewhere else to take my 6:30am nap, since I'm sure my roommate would not appreciate the multiple alarms all going off. Maybe I'll relocate to the lounge.
4. I should have saved my unpacking for the morning block. Oh well. It's the first day; it probably wouldn't have made much of a difference.
5. I may end up turning into a morning shower person. (Showers are good for staying awake.) I used to be a very late at night shower person. Off-peak hours, see. No one else showers at 3:00am.

Short-term memory tests
Numbers: 10.75
Letters: 12
Words: 27

Day 0

Yesterday night was my last night of monophasic sleep (if I manage to make this work). I am back at college, and will have my first polyphasic nap at 2:30 am. It's rather odd, thinking in terms of midnight date changes. I used to consider 2:30 am part of the previous day; for me, even if the sun had already risen, the date did not change until I'd slept a few hours. I'm sure that once this sleep schedule gets going, there will be quite a few paradigm shifts in store for me.

Two important factors to note

1. My little support group no longer exists. Caradoc decided not to try it, in the end. The idea was to let us go first, and ascertain that there were indeed no ill effects before trying it himself. A rather wise notion, that. And so our three became two. Aethelwine, if you will recall, started during winter break. He made a great effort, but could not make it through the adaptation phase. I do have a copy of his journal, which should prove quite helpful. From his account, it seems that had it not been for some traveling he did over break, which threw him off, he would have made it. There is hope for me yet! I should have fewer such disruptions, which leads me to...
2. I am attending a funeral on Sunday, January 11th (Yes, it is tragic, and yes, I appreciate your sympathies, but no, I really don't want to talk about it.) This may throw me off several days, is all.

I found these mp3s, which are soundtracks of white noise that's supposed to facilitate falling asleep, and then after a set amount of time, plays a series of increasingly unpleasant noises to wake you up. I suspect I'll be using the 20 and 23 minute ones a lot. The problem is, my headphones are the sort with two little round plastic bits on the ends of long insulated wires -- there's no guarantee that they'll stay in. Tape, perhaps? I'll set a bunch of alarms anyways, just in case.

The experiment commences...

Polyphasic Sleep: A Procedure

It is often said that no plan survives first contact with the enemy. Hasn't stopped anyone from making them, though.

The schedule itself is quite simple: naps at 2:30, 6:30, and 10:30 (Pacific Standard Time). For simplicity of reference, let me name each four-hour period (the nap being the first 20 minutes of the period), as follows:
2:30 - 6:30 am -- Dawn Block
6:30 - 10:30 am -- Morning Block
10:30 am - 2:30 pm -- Noon Block
2:30 - 6:30 pm -- Afternoon Block
6:30 - 10:30 pm -- Evening Block
10:30 pm - 2:30 am -- Night Block

I will have classes mostly during the noon and afternoon blocks (with a scattered few in the morning block). Most of my extracurricular activities fall during the evening block. The other three waking periods... well, for the first time in many years, I will be able to say that I have copious free time, and mean it.

I had been warned of this. Those blocks, especially the dawn one, tend to be the most difficult during the adaptation phase. That is, those are the times when most people attempting the sleep schedule will be the most tired and sleepy, and will really have to fight to stay awake. In this, I have an advantage. In my current monophasic existence, I am significantly more nocturnal than most people are. During finals week, when we had, beyond our scheduled exams, virtually absolute flexibility of schedule, I found myself naturally going to bed at around 9:00 - 10:00 am, and waking up around 3:00 - 4:00 pm. However, I am also partially adjusted to a more normal daytime schedule because the rest of the world runs that way. This means that I shouldn't have any block that is significantly more difficult than any other block. At night, I'm used to being up and about; during the day, as long as I don't fall asleep in lectures, I will have external stimuli helping to keep me awake (including biking to and from class!). I guess I'll just have to sit next to friends with strict instructions to jab me discreetly under the desk when I start nodding off.

Still, once I'm far enough into the adaptation phase I will be so sleep-deprived that I will be in constant danger of falling asleep when I'm not supposed to, regardless of time of day. The literature recommends filling my time with physical and/or stimulating tasks. Things like reading are a poor choice, unless perhaps I try reading while pacing in circles out in the cold. Likewise, I'm not confident that even working on my own creative writing will be sufficient to keep me awake (but I'll try!). (It will be necessary to do homework, of course; I will simply have to find a most uncomfortable spot in which to do it.) What seems most effective, from said literature, are things like exercising and cooking, and I am a) not particularly athletic (and therefore unlikely to kill more than half an hour exercising), and b) unable to cook (well, or without setting off the fire alarms). I plan on making a daily trip to the post office during the dawn block, on my bike, despite the extreme likelihood of not getting any mail. I will also, for the first time in ages, try to eat breakfast, during the morning block. Actually, meal times warrant a separate paragraph (see below), but I digress. My to-do list contains several knitting and sewing projects, which I can do standing up if I need to, and have the additional benefit of painful stimulus (stabbing myself with a needle) if I drift off. I've a long list of rather mundane things to do, such as cleaning my (half of the) room, cleaning up my e-mail inboxes (perhaps too boring to keep me awake), etc. If you have any suggestions on activities to try (especially if you know me in Real Life), comments are very welcome.

Now, regarding meal times... given that I will have more total waking hours, I expect my consumption to increase. Hence, I plan on eating three meals per 24 hours, rather than the two-a-day I had last quarter (as noted above, I am not accustomed to eating breakfast). I will spread them evenly, one meal towards the end of every other block, so that I'll be having breakfast during the morning block, dinner during the afternoon block, and Late Night during the night block (Late Night is a supper/midnight snack type of thing offered by some of the dining halls at our school). Yes, I am completely aware that I've left out lunch; I often skipped lunch or grabbed a bagel between classes in high school. It's probably for the best, considering that my winter quarter class schedule allows only 20-or-so minutes for lunch on some days anyhow. I have a significant stockpile of ramen in my closet, and tend to accumulate fruit in my fridge under the bed, so if I really feel I need it (or if I'm too lazy/tired to make my way over to Late Night), I can eat whenever. I hope I don't forget. I have a distressing tendency to forget to eat, especially when I'm distracted and/or engrossed in something particularly interesting.

Now, to see whether and/or how my brain is being affected by all of this, I will take a brief online short-term memory test at least once a day, trying for approximately the same time each day. I found one I like here. I created an account, which lets me track how I've been doing over time. The best part, though, is that it has different tests using numbers, letters, and words, and hence should yield more thorough results. This will probably constitute the only really scientifically rigorous part of the experiment. The rest of each status report will consist mostly of personal observations (and some whinging, I'm sure).

I go back to school tomorrow. I'm excited!