Biphasic sleep has been one of the best changes I have made to my life. I have the same amount of energy while accomplishing more throughout the day.
I work 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., I wake up around 5:30 a.m. to shower and dress for the day. Before I started biphasic sleep, I would get home from work around 5 and have only 4.5 hours to relax, go to the gym, eat dinner, wash up for bed, or see friends after work. I would go to bed at 9:30 to attempt a solid 8 hours of sleep before rising for work the next day. However, I often did not get 8 hours of sleep.
I would often go to work feeling exhausted from the previous day. I heard about biphasic sleep through Efficiency Is Everything and I started looking into it.
The benefits it promised seemed enticing: more energy, increased productivity, and of course, what we all love as adults: naps! I decided to take a leap of faith and start biphasic sleep after Memorial Day weekend. The normal transition period is a few weeks, though my transition period was fairly quick. I was tired enough to fall asleep quickly when returning home from work. Your body starts to learn to be tired when you return home from work, though your energy starts to fall off about 30 – 45 minutes before your normal nap time.
There have been times where I do not go home directly after work and take a nap at home, but instead go see friends or go to club meetings. It is highly advisable to find some time during the day to nap so you are not exhausted for the rest of the day and the next day. If you know that you will have a day when you cannot take a nap, do your best to get sufficient sleep at night to get you through the day. You will start to think about taking a nap around your usual nap time, though you might not feel tired at that time.
These may differ for you, dear reader, as you and I are not the same person. I need almost complete darkness and quiet to be able to fall asleep, so I put in earplugs when falling asleep for my biphasic nap. I also wear a sleep mask to block out as much light as possible to maximize my restful sleep. The earplugs and sleep mask also help you to stay asleep so you are not prematurely awakened.
First, I take five deep breaths. Full inflate then deflate your diaphragm.
Next, use one of your hands to feel your heartbeat on your neck and count to 60 beats.
If you still feel a little wound up and restless, count another 60 beats. Counting heart beats calms you down since you must focus on correctly counting your heart beats. Once you’ve finished counting heart beats, find a position that is comfortable and lay still. You should fall asleep soon after that.
-Jim Glantz