Be Excellent To Each Other

Because I am a loon I'd like to try this, but having to find somewhere to nap is just totally incompatible with most lifestyles. Still, it's an interesting concept. I'd like to know what you guys think of its implications, and a word from Lave also, if he's not too busy.

It's interesting, but I could only ever see myself doing it if I was suddenly rich and wanted to devote my entire life to playing EvE or similar forever.

I couldn't do it, there's nowhere in my workplace where I could sleep apart, and I'd be concerned during the transitionary period of falling asleep at the wheel and DYING IN A FLAMING WRECK.

I've just skimmed all that. Very interesting but you'd certainly need a very wonky lifestyle that meant you didnt' need to do anything for more than 3.5 hours at a time.

Sadly I don't think my work would agree to this. I would happily try it though (some of my colleagues might already think I am).

Apparently it never truly becomes a natural routine. Folks who've kept it up for 30 years will still have a massive 12-hour monophasic kip if they haven't set their alarm, or whatever.

It also assumes that you fall asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow.

It usually takes me a couple of hours to wind down and fall asleep, so if I switched to this I'd spend my entire life either sleeping or trying to sleep.

I've heard of the superman sleep pattern before. As Klatrymadon said; if you mess it up just once, you tend to mess up big time and have to start from the start again. It sounds great, but having to suddenly go for a 20 minute nap OR ELSE is a bit of a pressure.

I can NEVER get to sleep properly if I know I need to. I even have some sleeping pills that I bought while in CANANDADA called 'Sleep MD' that were supposed to be really amazing, but I've taken one and STILL laid awake for two hours trying to fall asleep.

It takes me over 20 minutes to fall asleep so by the time I'm asleep I'd be waking up again. Sounds like it would be hell to adjust to it though.

I've never had any joy with anything like that, either. A friend once gave me some that her doctor had prescribed, explaining that they'd worked a charm around the time of her uni exams. As they weren't available at pharmacies, I assumed that they must have been some instant-action drop-down-dead kind that could knock out an elephant seal. I took two, and spent the entire night staring at the ceiling.

I haven't tried taking two, as per the instructions. I might as well try, as if it's AMAZING DRUG FREE RELIEF (TM) then I should have no difficulties getting to sleep (TM)!

I'm led to believe that, provided your lifestyle is compatible with the concept, it really does work quite well.

This is what I've heard too.

I've read about this thing before, but whenever it pops up it's always that article that is at the end of the link chain, so I've no idea about its validity. Apparently Leonardo di Vinci did it when he wasn't drawing large stone cocks behind Jesus.

I think sleep is something thats so varied between people that a huge study of people would be needed to really test this. And the cost of doing that means its doubtful oit will ever be done. I think various militaries have experimented with it for extreme circumstances, but just focusing on how much benifit naps are, rather than a full lifestyle shift.

Saying that I don't know bollocks all about the science of sleep so I can't tell you anything really apart from what I read on wikipedia at least a year ago.

I'm quite lucky for sleeping, ever since working a summer of nights at a supermarket I don't really need a routine to sleep. Today for instance I went to bed at 6am, got up at 10am (as I needed to be in email contact for a couple of hours) then slept 1 till 5.
I've found sleeping 4 hours to leave me much more awake than sleeping 5 or 6, and naps leave me feeling like shit. So as I'm busy at the moment, I've often been sleeping 4hrs one night 8 hrs the next. I can imagine Thatcher settling quite happily into her 4hrs a night routine.

Also whilst writing up Ive go through periods where I've slept 4 hrs every 16 hrs or so, which lead me to drift 4hrs every day in my routine (I've just got into uni at 8pm to start a 'days work' ) and that was surprisingly comfortable, so I can imagine other sleep patterns working.

As I say, after working nights, the way I slept changed dramatically for life, so as you are a bit of an insomniac (if I remember right) I think you should think carefully before trying this, and definitely don't take advice from me.

I'm willing to be a guinea pig, trying the exact opposite of what they suggest.

Just think how productive I'd be in those 20 minute moments of wakefulness?

Didn't George try this in Seinfeld when he had a bed built under his desk for cunning naps?

Don't you just hate it when you can't fucking sleep? Gah, and I'm at work first thing :/