Polyphasic Sleeping

Ok, so I’m not actually doing it yet as this is the very beginning, but you have to start somewhere and blogging it, is proper committal. So, I am now really committed .
So, the big question most people will be asking, is “why”. The answer to this one is two-fold. Firstly the obvious answer is that I resent the hours wasted on sleep. Being polyphasic will give me back 6 hours of my life, every day. It will give me the time to do all the things I want to get done, but never get round to, because I never have the time. Strictly speaking I’m between contracts at the moment, so in fact do have the time and am still not getting the stuff done, so there is a minor flaw appearing in the plan already! But we can always fall off that bridge when we come to it! So, in theory, I’ll finally get to write that novel I’ve been wittering on about, build all those web sites etc. Kewl, don’t you think J
If you don’t know what polyphasic sleeping is, then do a google and save me the trouble of typing an explanation here. I’m going to be following the Uberman schedule, which means 20 minutes of kip, every 4 hours. I’m naively expecting this to be easy for the following reasons. Firstly, I already struggle to get through the day without the occasional nap, so I’m naturally leaning towards it. Secondly, I’ve always been good at getting up when the alarm goes off in the mornings, even when it’s silly O’clock in the morning. So I should be able to stick to the schedule quite well. On the other hand, I really like my sleep, so expect it to be a battle!
I’m hoping my health will generally benefit from this, overall. I’m a martyr to IBS. I get it regularly and a lot and it can be pretty darned nasty. I’m hoping that the side effect changes to my lifestyle will benefit it. Not drinking certainly helps, but doesn’t stop it. I’ll be changing the way I eat. Instead of having the set 3 larger meals, I will have a smaller one in each 4 hour time period, which my alimentary canal should handle much better than it does now. At least, that’s the theory.
One of the really scary bits is my addiction to nicotine. I suspect the extra 6 hours of smoking will be too much. The mad nights out where you are chain smoking into the small hours always leads to a heavy barking chest and sore throat the next day. I suspect I’ll have those symptoms all the time as there will not be a period of time when I rest my lungs. I don’t want to give up smoking as simply put, I enjoy it, but it’s going to be impractical to continue doing it. I’ll try and be diligent and ration my smoking time, but in the end, I may just have to quit! Typical, I just stocked up on Tobacco!
So, on to the practicalities, picking the right times for naps. My initial thought was to pick my times based around a fairly guaranteed lunch break, so went for 1 o’clock. However, going 4 hours either side of that means I’d be napping at 9 and 5, just as I arrive at work and just before I leave. Not very practical at all. So I’ve plumbed for 7, 11 and 3. That way I have a nap just prior to leaving for work and one on my return, with 2 at manageable times. The only noticeable thing during the day would be very predictable toilet break times!