Interesting information on the various sleep cycles that humans around the world and throughout history have used. Conventional and mainstream thinking in America says we need 7-10 (some say 8-10) hours of sleep. This is called a Monophasic sleep cycle. I have never been one to believe the importance of a typical sleep cycle with 8-10 hours of sleep as my range has been 5-7 hours of sleep for just about the last 20 years of my life.
Monophasic Sleep Cycle
Most of us are familiar with the Monophasic sleep-cycle. It consists of one large chunk of time that a person sleeps. This is the typical 8-10 hours of sleep in a night:
In the Monophasic Sleep Cycle there are various stages of sleep with REM (rapid eye movement) being the most important.
Generally, it takes the body about 45 – 75 minutes to get into REM sleep which is the cycle responsible for various brain and bodily functions that are beneficial to health. In the Monophasic cycle, REM is achieved several times in a night.
Byphasic Sleep Cycle
The Byphasic Sleep Cycle might be viewed as the most practical for people. This cycle consists of one 5-6 hour sleep and one 20, 60, or 90 minute nap per day. A Byphasic sleep cycle might include a total sleep time of around 5.3-10 hours a day.
There is now a bit of scientific research to show that this cycle is not only better for your health but can also lead to better moods, a decrease in stress, an increase in your ability to be altert as well as overall productivity when compared to a monophasic cycle. There is also research that suggests this sleep cycle can even make people smarter.
Everyman Sleep Cycle
The Everyman cycle, first named by Puredoxyk, is a sleep schedule consisting of one 3.5 hour core sleep and 3 x 20 minute naps spread out over the day. The cycle is designed to counteract the natural drops in our alertness as dictated by our Circadian and Ultradian rhythms.
A sample schedule commonly used with this cycle is sleeping from 9:00PM to 12:30am, a nap around 4:00-4:10 AM, an 8:10 AM nap, and a 2:40 PM nap. A morning core-sleep between the hours of 3:00 AM - 6:30 AM should be avoided because during these times the temporary circadian REM pressure is high and quality slow-wave sleep is unlikely.
Dymaxion Sleep Cycle
The Dymaxion cycle appears to be very difficult. In fact, only certain people can be successful using it. People who have the DEC2 gene generally only require about 4 hours of monophasic sleep. The lack of a DEC2 gene is not to imply that others can’t use a Dymaxion sleep cycle, it is simply unlikely it will work. There is not enough time spent in REM for most people so the cycle is difficult to adapt to.
The cycle consists of four 30-minute sleeps throughout the day, totaling a mere 2 hours of sleep!
Uberman Sleep Cycle
The Uberman cycle, again named by Puredoxyk, consists of only 20-minute naps, totaling 2 hours of sleep per day. Each nap is spaced at equal time intervals throughout the day. The classic method is to take six 20-minute naps per day. Eight 20-minute naps can also be used as the extra 40 minutes each day can make a difference.
Missing naps while on this schedule can result in feeling very drained and tired so keeping to the schedule closely and consistently is important. Because of the regular interval of naps, typically people do not even have the freedom to try this sleep cycle at all.
Uberman sleepers report experiencing very vivid lucid dreams. This cycle might be worth a try for those experimenting with lucid dreaming.
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