Now What?

Congratulations! You have properly decided on a polyphasic schedule to attempt. You surely are excited to be on this journey. However, is that everything? You have read all tips on the website and gone over your alarm system carefully. What else do you need to be aware of? Well, I will present to you some scenarios. Even though some of them aren’t common at all, they are noteworthy. 

Determination

Q: So I got the schedule. Thanks everyone for helping out. But I also feel like it’s too daunting to do one schedule for years to come… and I’m also too lazy to adapt to something else. This schedule is just too convenient for me. Will it get boring at some point?

A: It’s good you bring up this question again, because truthfully, that’s actually what prompts many to quit. Yes, adapted polyphasic sleepers can really get bored with… their own sleep schedules. For reasons unclear, it’s quite hilarious to see that the reasons for quitting are… not much at all. Yes, most people are very determined to get through the adaptation phase. But it’s kind of like a lull after adapting. 

You sleep well, work well, take this one nap here, that one nap later, etc. Rinse and repeat. It can actually become a burdensome routine to keep up. This is also why we do not really often see many people who stay on just one polyphasic schedule for several years. They tend to switch to something more difficult (gradual transition remember?), or just quit altogether. Trying a different sleep schedule is also what you can do. 

Again, I’m not blaming you if you have to quit, for whatever reason. Too much discipline can also be overbearing for a lot of people, I get it. 

Newcomer Syndrome

Q: I can’t seem to stick with one particular sleep schedule for more than a couple days. I also failed all nap-only schedules in the past. How do you think I can fix these problems?

A: I understand that good sleep may not be easy to achieve. That’s because everything “high-quality” demands certain investments and even sacrifices. After a couple years, I’ve seen at least a couple people with the same problem as yours. I think it’s just mostly discipline.

The lack of information for a long time may have also prompted many beginners with Newcomer Syndrome to dive straight into extreme schedules like Uberman right away. Many even disregarded people’s reasonable advice. And to no one’s surprise, those attempts ended with swift failure. People also thought adaptation just takes 3-4 days to complete as well. That and switching schedules constantly result in an unholy mess. 

It’s a painstaking process and you need patience to succeed. After many failures with endless sleep deprivation, you likely won’t even muster up enough motivation to adapt to ANY plausible schedules. And sadly this is the end result in many beginners who fail to commit to one thing at a time. 

My message to you is: It is your choice to attempt whatever schedule you want, but don’t half-ass your attempt. Give it one hella good fight. Whether you succeed or not, you’ve got some experience to learn from. Sleep deprivation is not healthy, so you should not spend too long a period in it. Get through your adaptation as calmly as possible to complete it on time. 

Change of Thoughts

Q: After 4 weeks into Siesta and things are going decent, though. But I realize that I don’t like the daytime core at all. It’s becoming more and more inconvenient in some months for me. Should I really switch to a different schedule like E2?

A: I consider 4 weeks a considerable investment of time. Considering that you seem to be doing well, you really should just continue and push through, especially when your timetable even allows it. Maybe Siesta won’t be your long-term choice, but it’s always good to be adapted to something. You’ve got this far, so don’t look back. 

At least when you have adapted to a schedule, you will have a great baseline to compare it to other schedules of yours. There are a lot of useful metrics you can compare between different adaptations, such as:

• Percentage of SWS and REM sleep
• Best sleep session on the schedule. For example, which sleep/nap/core gives the most dream recalling. 
• Physical recovery from exercises (if you do any sports). 

After you secure this Siesta adaptation, you definitely can make a switch to other schedules with less daytime sleep. Sometimes, the least attractive schedules still have values that you cannot overlook. When you start to struggle with a difficult schedule, you’d wish you had such an enjoyable time on the previous schedule! 

Know When To Give Up

Q: When should I give up my adaptation? I’ve been trying E2-modified (with a Pronap) for 47 days. There has been some progress, but I still feel something is off. I’m quite sure I’m not adapted yet. Should I continue or recover?

A: 47 days is by no stretch of imagination a short adaptation period. You’re nearing 2 months, after all. While I know that people’s answers will vary, I’d say it depends on how you’re feeling. 

• If you’re feeling so garbage because of intense stage 3 symptoms still, consider recovering. Because when things get totally out of hand and have affected you on a global level consistently, that’s too hard of an adaptation.
• On the other hand, if you see some improvements and the overall adaptation is not too taxing, continue for some more time. Usually, for cases like this, though, I would still recommend you battle it out for 3 months. This means you have 90-100 days for an adaptation, which is already plenty. If no fruitful results pan out, you can recover right after. 

The reason why this point is important is because recently a couple people have been too stubborn with their attempts. Notably, two people have spent at least 6-7 months still adapting to their schedules. They’re still going because of some daily sleep reduction on those sleep schedules. Still, that’s just too much sleep debt, and it’s unlikely they’ll ever get out of that tunnel. Usually, after 3 months, you should largely be able to see if a schedule is really sustainable for you long-term. 

Concluding Remark

Best of luck on your adaptation! This is the end of the course. Thanks for taking the time to go through the very end! If there are any other tips or certain factors that can greatly influence schedule choice, I’ll be sure to update them. 

For now, after this lesson, I hope you have learned more about certain possible psychology triggers during a polyphasic adaptation. I do wish your polyphasic schedule would stay with you for a long time to come, and help carry you through the toughest moments. After all, you should be rewarded for your efforts to improve your sleep (though not via the conventional ways :)). Sleep is very important, and it is about time you paid just a little more attention to it each day.  

I hope that I won’t have to see phenomena such as “attempted a schedule 5-6 times and still failed” after you have thoroughly read through this guide. Your choice, therefore, is everything.