post: polyphasic sleep

content/writings/polyphasic-sleep.md

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+---
+title: Experiments with Polyphasic Sleep
+date: 2024-10-02
+type: Post
+description: Notes on experiments with polyphasic sleep
+published: true
+---
+*Last Updated: 2 Oct 2024*
+
+> As the weeks go by, I will keep updating this note on my learnings and experience. So this is always be **in progress**. 
+
+## But wait, whats polyphasic sleep?
+
+*\*need to write this section yet, but you can go to https://polyphasic.net to learn more*
+
+---
+I started this experiment in the last week of September 2024. This post is a way for me to document and publicly share what I learn.
+
+I chose [Everyman 1](https://www.polyphasic.net/everyman-1/), or E1 for short, as it seemed to be fairly forgiving with caffeine (oh I am a coffee addict), alcohol, and recovery from workouts.
+
+![aravind's nap chart](https://ik.imagekit.io/aravindballa/website/aravind-nap-chart.png?updatedAt=1727832529075)
+
+Right now I am in the second week of trying to adapt E1 polyphasic sleep schedule. Which is getting 6 hours of core sleep from 23:00 to 05:00 and then topping it up with a 20 minute nap in the afternoon.
+
+One more reason to choose this schedule is because I like mornings. I like to get stuff done early in the day so I can spend the rest of the day with the feeling of accomplishment.
+
+I have the ability to nap whenever I want as I work remotely. On the days I go out in the afternoons, which I haven't done from the time I have started this, I will try car naps which seem highly popular in the [polyphasic community](https://www.reddit.com/r/polyphasic/).
+
+I feel its good. As much as I would like to say I am adapted to this, people say that it takes 4-6 weeks to properly adapt. So I am looking forward.
+
+I have researched a lot. About affects of caffeine, workout recovery etc. Alcohol in general doesn't seem to be a problem on Everyman schedules.
+
+## Drink coffee or not
+There is mixed advice here.
+
+Some say you need to completely avoid when you are adapting. And that you won't need it after you are adapted as you will feel energetic all the time.
+
+*But I like to drink it.*
+
+Some say if you are caffeine adapted, which happens if you are a long time drinker, then its fine to drink it at a time which doesn't affect your sleep or nap.
+
+I am experimenting with this as well and so far its good. One cup of my [delicious pour over](https://aravindballa.com/writings/coffee) at somewhere before 09:00. Considering the half life of caffeine, it would me with ~26mg of caffeine in my body by the time I sleep. Under 50 seems to be the standard but I am gradually check this permissible limit for me.
+
+I built myself a nifty tool to check the caffeine levels.
+![daily caffeine tracker app](https://ik.imagekit.io/aravindballa/website/caffeine-tracker.png?updatedAt=1727834740774)
+This helped a lot.