The uberman sleep schedule involves taking 20-30 minute naps every four hours, with some people only sleeping for two hours total in a 24-hour period. While some claim mental alertness and increased productivity, sleep experts caution against extended use of polyphasic sleep.
The uberman sleep schedule or the common man sleep schedule is a variation of what is called polyphasic sleep. This is a practice adopted by many animals. Instead of sleeping for long periods of time, like the eight hours a night recommended for humans, some animals sleep for short periods of time during the day and night. The question of polyphasic sleep, so called by Dr. Claudio Stampi, was born precisely to deal with certain situations in which people had to spend very short periods of sleep, thus reducing total REM sleep. Stampi was particularly interested in how people participating in long sailing races could get minimal sleep, but still get enough REM sleep to function as needed.
Stampi proposed, and many have since followed, a variety of sleep variations in which people sleep in 20- to 30-minute “naps,” on a very tight schedule. Mold and others claim that people are able to immediately get into cycles and maximize REM sleep, and then get about two hours of this dream-laden sleep within a 24-hour period. Stampi’s idea and uberman’s sleep schedule aren’t exactly new. There is evidence that many of the world’s deceased and yet most respected geniuses worked on very little sleep. Leonardo Da Vinci and Thomas Jefferson are usually mentioned when discussing the uberman sleep schedule.
The framework for the uberman sleep schedule is to take a 20-30 minute nap every four hours. Those who have tried the program insist that times must be strictly adhered to for the body to adjust to different sleep patterns. These naps cannot be interrupted without making you lose precious sleep. Some people vary the uberman sleep schedule to include a three-hour night’s sleep, but others only sleep for two hours total in any 24-hour period.
There are numerous internet accounts of people trying the uberman sleep program and blogging about the results. There is definitely a consensus that the first two weeks have been very difficult. In no way can these blogs constitute an actual study on the likelihood that polyphasic sleep can cause harm. While REM sleep is important, so are other forms of sleep during a sleep cycle, and these cannot be addressed when using the cycle. Blog participants agree that the program can only work when people can be stiff and stay uninterrupted during set sleep periods.
Some of the anecdotal claims regarding the uberman sleep schedule are that after an initial adjustment period, people feel mentally alert and are able to do more. In fact, those who try this program should plan plenty of activities, as boredom is a big complaint. Hunger is another common problem. You should plan to have your refrigerator well stocked, since you’ll likely need to add at least one or two more meals to your day.
Is polyphasic sleep healthy? Most medical experts at sleep centers would suggest no, especially not for extended periods of time. Evidence pointing to how babies sleep is often cited to suggest that plans like the common man’s sleep schedule are perfectly natural. These quotes don’t take into account that babies can sleep in stages, but they do tend to sleep 15-20 hours a day. Other pets that use polyphasic sleep can also sleep much longer than the two to three hours of sleep you’d get on this type of schedule. Sleep experts also argue that there is no way to “control” entry into REM sleep directly, making some of the claims of polyphasic sleep advocates dubious.
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