Preamble

For the last six months or so, I have found myself saying rather frequently that I could not wait until someone invented a machine that would give me a full night's sleep in five minutes.

I'm not a CEO caught up in a corporate rat race, nor am I a family man with children to raise. I am a 23-year-old student in the Graphic Communications program at Clemson University. We deal with the business, technical, and, to a lesser extent, artistic aspects of communicating messages clearly and effectively to an intended audience (read: ink, paper, signage, web sites). I enjoy the work that I do in the program, and hope that it will lead me to a fun and profitable career. My main technical hobby is computers, and my primary artistic hobby is playing guitar. I love many kinds of music, but I am passionate about extreme heavy metal. I have a supportive family, and a beautiful and wonderful girlfriend named Allison. This summer, I have been taking courses and working as a server at a local restaurant to pay the bills.

During my travels through the internet, I came upon Steve Pavlina's blog. Steve details his experiment with polyphasic sleeping, a sleeping pattern which requires only two hours of sleep each night: 20-30 minutes every four hours. At the time I came across Steve's logs, I was on an 8-5 internship which made this kind of sleep schedule unfeasible. However, my course schedules during the remainder of my summer and my fall session make a polyphasic sleeping experiment possible.

Why?

There are two primary reasons that I want to attempt to adapt to polyphasic sleeping. The first is obvious; adopting polyphasic sleeping will give me 4-6 extra hours of time every night. That adds 28-42 hours of time to my schedule every week! This time would allow me to make more money, get more work done in school, or be more musically creative (I never have time for the last under my current schedule).

Secondly, I think of myself as somewhat of a pioneer. When I am presented with an idea that appeals to me, it is very difficult for me to resist the urge to immediately experiment with it. While numerous people have started blogs detailing their experience with polyphasic sleeping, many have failed before having time to adapt to the new routine. Also, there is little data detailing the experiences of people my age and with my habits. I would like this blog to serve as a guide to a college student that would like to try (or, perhaps after this blog is completed, not try) polyphasic sleeping.

My Advantages vs. Polyphasic Sleep

• I am a fairly healthy and fit person. I work out 3-4 times a week and do my best to stay hydrated and avoid fatty foods and sugar. I also drink very little caffeine, and when I do, it is usually in the form of green tea. Because I lift weights, I am motivated to eat enough to continue to gain muscle mass.
• I am a student, which allows me a (usually) looser schedule than someone with a full-time job.
• I am 23 years old and have done my fair share of drinking in college, so the temptation to go off the schedule for a social gathering will be less than it would be for some.
• Last summer, I had a busy summer schedule and a third shift job. There were many nights in a row that I only slept two or three hours. While this eventually caught up with me, I managed for some time.
• I am a very busy person and will have plenty of activities to pass the long night hours.
• I have someone that loves me and will let me know if I'm beginning to go utterly insane.
  

Polyphasic Sleep's Advantages vs. Me

• This week will be tough. I still have a formal job for the next two weeks, projects due, and exams next week that will all throw off my nap times to some degree. However, I have been working hard and am confident that I have these classes in the bag. Otherwise, I would not be starting this experiment until later.
• Some temptation to blow off my naps for social activities will be present.
• I am alone in this experiment. I do not know anyone desperate enough for extra free time to try this with me.
  

I welcome all comments/questions/encouragement/constructive discouragement. I will have plenty of time in the near future to discuss my results.