Introduction

Fitting polyphasic sleep in a normal, monophasic society is not easy, especially when you factor in sex life. If you already have a polyphasic partner, your sex life may be full of happiness. This is because you both have found common grounds on the matter. On the other hand, living together with a monophasic partner may be much more difficult to make things work. 

Since there is no concrete research on polyphasic sleep and how sexual activities may affect it, the purpose of this post is to cater to personal preference. Alongside the possibilities, there is also some advice on the topic. 

NoFap & Sleep

NoFap and Polyphasic Sleep

Although controversial, there may be some individual benefits of NoFap. This lifestyle emphasizes on the abstinence from self-stimulating methods. This commonly includes any forms of masturbation. When present on polyphasic sleep, the common grounds appear even blurrier. This is because there is no research on both of these topics altogether. Regarding normal monophasic sleep, though, research does show that masturbation can improve sleep quality and reduce sleep onset¹. 

Nevertheless, if you are interested in NoFap or have a lot of experience with it, you may experiment with polyphasic sleeping. You may notice some changes in your personal energy levels, or no changes at all. Future research on these topics are absolutely necessary to see polyphasic naps and masturbation interact. 

General Sexual Activity & Polyphasic Sleep

There is overall a strong consensus on how sex can promote deeper sleep; safe sexual activity before bed is even recommended to enhance sleep quality¹. It is also common knowledge that the need for rest immediately after having sex increases. This is a way for the body to sort of “recover” from the session.

Anecdotally, many polyphasic parents in the community seem to enjoy the effects of having sex before sleeping. This includes both their cores and naps. 

Even though there are not many literature resources on polyphasic sleep and sex life specifically, there is solid documentation on Segmented sleep. In the pre-industrial era, they had sex in the wake period between their core sleeps². This speaks to the variety of activities that you can take to fill the night gap.

As a bonus, having sex in the core gap on Segmented sleep may increase your chances of lucid dreaming³. However, this remains largely anecdotal and likely does not apply to everyone. Aside from Segmented sleep, we have heard similar stories on other Biphasic and Everyman schedules (e.g, E2, E2-extended). 

Unknowns & Cautions

Despite that polyphasic sleeping totally can accommodate sex life, there may be certain cautions and some unanswered questions.

• There is no surefire evidence that suggests that sexual activities can increase SWS duration. Even though this is nothing to worry about for adaptations to reasonable polyphasic schedules, it may still cause more tiredness for extreme schedules. Thus, it can potentially be more difficult to wake up from a nap on a nap-only schedule. 
• You should have sex before your core sleep. This is because it can help you fall asleep faster and sleep more deeply. 
• There is also no relationship between sexual activities and REM sleep duration.
• It is possible to remain in the dark period while having sex! To afford this, you will need a couple of red light bulbs in your room for your dark period. 
• Watch over your own sex life! Doing it too frequently can make you exhausted. Adjust according to your needs and gauge your recovery afterwards. 
• It is a good idea to work out a sustainable schedule for you and your partner. Sleep deprivation during an adaptation can and will affect your libido, so account for that! Having an understanding partner is very important to maintain a romantic relationship between you two; on the other hand, if not managed efficiently, not only will your adaptation fall apart but also your intimate relationship may as well! 

Main authors: GeneralNguyen & Crimson

Page last updated: 15 February 2021

Reference

1. Lastella, M., O’Mullan, C., Paterson, J. L., & Reynolds, A. C. (2019). Sex and Sleep: Perceptions of Sex as a Sleep Promoting Behavior in the General Adult Population. Frontiers in Public Health, 7. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2019.00033. [PubMed]
2. Ekirch, A. Roger. “Segmented sleep in preindustrial societies.” (2016): 715-716. [PubMed]
3. LaBerge, Stephen, Leslie Phillips, and Lynne Levitan. “An hour of wakefulness before morning naps makes lucidity more likely.” NightLight 6.3 (1994): 1-4.