Sleep
Sleep, is a periodic loss of consciousness common to most vertebrates. In the majority of species, it is vital for survival, like breathing, eating and drinking- in fact, sleep deprivation has even been used as a method of torture. However, one can be deprived of sleep due to the effects of many factors, including stress, anxiety, depression, and stimulants such as caffeine and amphetamines.
[edit] Monophasic sleep
Monophasic sleep involves taking approximately 8 hours (can be anywhere from 6-12 hours) in a given day, and using them all at once in an attempt to sleep. It relies on being able to rest in one continuous session, in the hopes that users will be awake and alert at the end of the session.
[edit] Polyphasic sleep
Polyphasic sleep attempts to distribute sleep across the entire day. The first extra sleep phase, biphasic sleep, places a single period of rest in the middle of the day. Additional sleep periods may be added to reduce the amount of time required in the larger sleep period. It should be noted that the natural schedule for humans is actually biphasic, with a waking period of approximately 1 hour during the night, and this was common until the advent of electric lighting.
There have been many claims that alternative schedules for polyphasic sleep, such as the ones outlined in the following table, can help to increase the amount of REM (Rapid eye movement) sleep achieved. In sleep deprivation induced by polyphasic schedules, REM sleep will occur faster due to sleep stage compression, yet it is the slow-wave sleep that is the primary target of homeostatic upregulation strongly determined by the duration of prior waking. As REM sleep is far more associated with the circadian phase, its proportion in sleep will actually drop, esp. in naps initiated in the subjective evening period. However, this is not supported by science.[citation needed]
| Name | Total sleeping time | Sleeping % | Method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monophasic | 8.0 h | 33.3% | 8 hours major sleep episode. |
| Segmented | 7.0 h | 29.2% | two 3.5 hour major sleep episodes. |
| Biphasic (90-minute nap) | 6.5 h | 27.0% | 5 hours major sleep episode and one 90 minute nap. |
| Biphasic (20-minute nap) | 6.3 h | 26.4% | 6 hours major sleep episode and one 20 minute power nap. |
| Triphasic | 4.5 h | 18.8% | 1.5 hours major sleep episodes (every 6.5 hours). |
| Dual Core (with 1 nap) | 5.3 h | 22.2% | 3.5 hours major sleep episode, 1.5 hours major sleep episode and one 20 minute power nap. |
| Dual Core (with 2 naps) | 4.6 h | 19.2% | 2.5 hours major sleep episode, 1.5 hours major sleep episode and two 20 minute power naps. |
| Everyman (with 2 naps) | 5.2 h | 21.5% | 4.5 hours major sleep episode and two 20-minute power naps. |
| Everyman (with 3 naps) | 4.0-4.5 h | 16.7-18.8% | 3-3.5 hours major sleep episode and three 20-minute power naps. |
| Everyman (with 4 - 5 naps) | 2.8-3.2 h | 11.8-13.2% | 1.5 hours major sleep episode and four to five 20-minute power naps. |
| Dymaxion | 2.0 h | 8.3% | Four 30-minute naps (every 6 hours). |
| Uberman (from German Übermensch) | 2.0 h | 8.3% | Six 20-minute naps (every 4 hours). |
[edit] See also
- Sheep
- Melatonin
- Incubus and succubus myths The cause of sex dreams in Abrahamic religions.
- Dolphin A creature that can go 5 days without sleep.