How Healthy of a Sleeper Are You?

Monday, 26 October 2009

How Healthy of a Sleeper Are You?

Who doesn't love to sleep? I love mummifying myself in my blankets and sleeping for hours - 8 to be exact. I have done it my whole life, and I can't imagine changing that routine now. I have, however, always been in awe of people who work night shifts, or students who pull all nighters or anybody who parties past 3 in the morning. Having never done it myself, I have a hard time imagining how people function on anything less than 6 hours of sleep in a night.
In college, for example, I roomed with a bouncer, who would often not get home from work until 3 or 4 in the morning. When I woke up a couple hours later, my bouncer roommate would wake up too. We would go to class and keep very similar schedules, but when I came home in the evenings, I would be wiped. The bouncer, on the other hand, would be getting ready for work.
Today, I stumbled across an article about polyphasic sleep, a term referring to the practice of sleeping multiple times in a 24 hour period - usually more than two, in contrast to biphasic sleep. Apparently, there is an entire community of people who practice this in order to achieve more awake time each day. According to Wikipedia, there are even different terms for different types of polyphasic sleep:

The light gray is to show how long people sleep for, while the blue-gray is to show how long they sleep for.
The circle's entirety is to represent 24-hour cycles.

What kind of sleeper are you? Is this a result of your lifestyle or some other choice? How do you maintain your sleep schedule (naturally, with sleep aids, stimulants, etc.)?

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i need to sleep. i think i'm the last one. at least for the past couple weeks i have. suggestions? (not by choice)
- 10/26/2009 10:12 AM
- lot223@xanga (message)
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I have insomnia. I slept from 7 am to 10 am today. I don't think I fit into any of those categories.
- 10/26/2009 10:18 AM
- whitetrashpoet@xanga (message)
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I need to get in about 6-8 hours a night in order to feel my best. I know others who sleep less or more and seem to be fine with it.
- 10/26/2009 10:19 AM
- tsh44@xanga (message)
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mines probably the last one minus one of the four sleeps
- 10/26/2009 10:26 AM
- Princess_Sakurina@xanga (message)
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i think im the third one. 'everyman'
actually, i am neither of these.
i usually stay up from 9-10am until at least 3-5am. i only get about six hours of sleep a night. i can live off that though so it's fine by me. i used to have a really hard time sleeping... i'm much better now!
@lot223@xanga - Herbal remedies have been used safely for centuries for insomnia. In modern
herbal medicine, the leading herb for insomnia is valerian. Valerian root makes
getting to sleep easier and increases deep sleep and dreaming.
Valerian does not cause a morning hangover, a side effect common to
prescription sleep drugs in some people. A double-blind trial found that
valerian extract (600 mg 30 minutes before bedtime for 28 days) is comparable in
efficacy to oxazepam (Serax®), a commonly prescribed drug for insomnia.
- 10/26/2009 10:28 AM
- floraluna@xanga (message)
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I believe I'm biphasic. Boyfriend is not to pleased though - I've gotten in the habit of falling asleep while we're watching tv, and he has to either rewind the entire show, or to explain the entire segment to me.

...is being one type better than the other? Are there different risks, symptoms, etc with each type?
- 10/26/2009 10:47 AM
- jezzsweatyme@xanga (message)
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Biphasic ;)
- 10/26/2009 11:10 AM
- inthemillions@xanga (message)
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"The light gray is to show how long people sleep for, while the blue-gray is to show how long they sleep for."
i think you meant to say light gray = how long people are AWAKE for, and blue-gray = how long people SLEEP for.
im an uberman.
- 10/26/2009 11:11 AM
- dearFLOPPY@xanga (message)
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@floraluna@xanga - hey thanks for the tip! where would i find this valerian? i'm really in need.. i haven't had a good nights sleep in a long time.
- 10/26/2009 11:20 AM
- lot223@xanga (message)
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I'm typically monophasic unless I'm sick.
Ever since the invention of electric lights, people's sleeping patterns have been changed as a whole. It is well documented that in times like the Middle Ages, most people would sleep a few hours at night, wake up for about an hour or two around 2 am, and then go back to sleep. It was their natural sleep cycle. Now that we have unnatural "daytime", that doesn't happen nearly as much anymore.
When left in a clockless, windowless room with no outside contact, people actually revert to a 25 hour circadian cycle. :D
- 10/26/2009 11:25 AM
- methodElevated@xanga (message)
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biphasic.
- 10/26/2009 12:29 PM
- HisKeiki@xanga (message)
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During the work week I'm monophasic. The weekends I try to get a nap or 2 in.
- 10/26/2009 1:53 PM
- DarcKleer@xanga (message)
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I'm definitely monophasic. I don't think I could sleep in increments. Every once in a while I take a nap and then I'm just more tired, or can't fall asleep that night.
- 10/26/2009 2:56 PM
- BebstersBlog2@xanga (message)
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I'm monophasic, but rarely I have to be biphasic because I just get too tired sometimes. I do like to pull all-nighters, though. I think they're fun. :] They really test your will power, and if you cave in, it's not like you feel bad about it. xD
- 10/26/2009 3:37 PM
- nerdishh8D@xanga (message)
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@methodElevated@xanga - woah! interesting! o:
- 10/26/2009 3:38 PM
- nerdishh8D@xanga (message)
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pretty sure i'm biphasic.
- 10/26/2009 3:45 PM
- azashi@xanga (message)
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I'm An Insomniac, I'm Not Sure If I Fit In Any Of These.. D:
- 10/26/2009 3:48 PM
- WeHaveTheRansom@xanga (message)
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I'm bihasic. Sometimes though I take 2 naps a day.
- 10/26/2009 4:14 PM
- bringon_skinny@xanga (message)
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i guess i'm biphasic on school days when i have a study hall to nap in. LOL
- 10/26/2009 4:22 PM
- cornyonacob@xanga (message)
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I would proabably say I'm a biphasic. I sleep about 5 to 6 hours or less before I go to work. After work I normally take a nap for about 1 or 2 hours after I get home from work and shower. On my days off I normally get even less sleep cuz I want to get as much done as possiable.
- 10/26/2009 4:58 PM
- Bluekiller2025@xanga (message)
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I tend to be monophasic, but sometimes I need a nap. I try and never get less than eight hours of sleep at night and I also try and avoid naps entirely.
- 10/26/2009 5:31 PM
- irishgrrl690@xanga (message)
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I'm usually a monophasic unless I become SO tired I need a nap. My sisters on the other hand are biphasic's. It's annoying because when I'm about to sleep they're still up and about! I'm on the bunk-bed too! Near the lights. =(
- 10/26/2009 6:04 PM
- Wenz92@xanga (message)
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biphasic... I love naps!
- 10/26/2009 6:13 PM
- MsKittyCatty@xanga (message)
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Mine would show little pieces of the pie at night and then awake all day. I sleep and wake all night long and have for as long as i can remember. 5-6 hours straight thru is a miracle in itself. Mostly it's sleep for an hour or so, wake up for a little while, and then sleep again.
- 10/26/2009 6:22 PM
- unbridled_science@xanga (message)
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I would love to shift to the six naps a day thing. Otherwise I'm pretty biphasic. I take a nap almost every day for 40 min to an hour.
- 10/26/2009 6:51 PM
- Shy___Away@xanga (message)
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