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Spamayl is a highly [[flexing|flexible]] [[Nap only|nap-only]] [[schedule]]<ref name="rasmus" />, with its main idea being taking a short [[nap]] whenever tired throughout the day.  

Spamayl is a highly [[flexing|flexible]] [[Nap only|nap-only]] [[schedule]]<ref name="rasmus" />, with its main idea being taking a short [[nap]] whenever tired throughout the day.  

== Origin ==

== Origin ==

Spamayl is an abbreviation of "Sleep polyphasically as much as you like". It is one of the 4 "-amayl" flexible schedules. It was originally proposed by a forum user Rasmus in a 2012 forum [https://web.archive.org/web/20120120020801/http://trypolyphasic.com/forum/topic/154/spamayl-plan-discussion/ post], who reportedly stayed on the schedule for one and a half years. Spamayl is the oldest "-amayl" schedule, which allows taking a varying amount of naps, as opposed to flexible versions of regular schedules.  The original design of the schedule exclusively uses 20-minute naps, though variants with longer naps have later been attempted.

Spamayl is an abbreviation of "Sleep polyphasically as much as you like". It is one of the 4 "-amayl" flexible schedules. It was originally proposed by a forum user Rasmus in a 2010 forum [https://web.archive.org/web/20120120020801/http://trypolyphasic.com/forum/topic/154/spamayl-plan-discussion/ post], who reportedly stayed on the schedule for one and a half years. Spamayl is the oldest Amayl schedule, which allows taking a varying amount of naps, as opposed to flexible versions of regular schedules.  The original design of the schedule exclusively uses 20-minute naps, though variants with longer naps have later been attempted.

This schedule later inspired 3 other "-AMAYL" schedules, which contain cores to fulfill the required SWS, while still adhering to the principle of sleeping when needed.  

This schedule later inspired 3 other Amayl schedules, which contain cores to fulfill the required SWS, while still adhering to the principle of sleeping when needed.  

== Mechanism ==

== Mechanism ==

== Difficulty==

== Difficulty==

Spamayl is considered to be less hostile than Uberman and Dymaxion, since it can allow more naps, especially during the adaptation as noted by Rasmus. However, as the flexible naps tend to be less compressed, the overall time possible in vital sleep stages is likely similar. As a result, it is likely that average sleepers still will not be able to make the schedule sustainable. An [[extreme adaptation]] is still going to be required to achieve the needed repartitioning if the TST is to be below 3-4 hours. As a result, the adaptation difficulty of Spamayl is considered extremely difficult.

Spamayl is considered to be less hostile than Uberman and Dymaxion, since it can allow more naps, especially during the adaptation as noted by Rasmus. However, as the flexible naps tend to be less compressed, the overall time possible in vital sleep stages is likely similar. As a result, it is likely that average sleepers still will not be able to make the schedule sustainable. An [[extreme adaptation]] is still going to be required to achieve the needed repartitioning if the TST is to be below 3-4 hours, and even if successful, staying on the schedule may not be healthy. As a result, the adaptation difficulty of Spamayl is considered to be extremely hard.

== Lifestyle Considerations ==

== Lifestyle Considerations==

Spamayl fits those with self-employment, working from home, but is also possible for programming jobs, having stable daily schedules. For those who have gotten used to 20 m naps, there is allegedly no limit in Spamayl’s flexibility. Another niche Spamayl can have is that individuals (with normal sleep requirements) who are in desperate need of extra wake time and flexibility of sleep times can practice Spamayl for a short time (e.g, a couple days, some weeks). Examples include '''new parents''' who need to spend a lot of wake time on watch for their babies, and the unpredictable events can make Spamayl a temporarily good candidate to attempt.  

Spamayl fits those with erratic lifestyles, but may also work for those with stable schedules. It may also be useful as an emergency schedule for those needing a lot of extra time in the short term without reliable sleep times, such as for new parents or soldiers during military operations. Compared to simply skipping all sleep, sleeping Spamayl in those situations allows maintaining a basic level of alertness and cognitive functions, which would be severely affected if sleep is totally skipped. However, it is not expected that one would be able to stay on the schedule afterwards, as a full adaptation usually takes longer and the schedule itself may not be sustainable in the long term for many individuals.

Under '''war or apocalyptic times''' where it is necessary to be on the move frequently and perform sustained operations under long periods of time without the possibility for any [[Cores|core]] sleeps ('''<u>Chapter 14 of Why We Nap</u>'''), Spamayl may become a very niche survival tool to at least hold on to for a short time (up to ~a couple weeks or so) until a settlement area is found. The flexibility of the schedule (including nap duration) invites more possibility for '''longer naps''' to be used to relieve more tiredness and [[sleep pressure]]. Getting some rest from naps (which become more effective over time) coupled with the adrenaline generated from the stressful situations can provide certain amount of needed vigilance in the event of severe emergencies to perform better decision-making than skipping sleep entirely. This flexibility also outclasses other nap-only schedules like Uberman, with a nap every X hours especially in the niche situations above. '''The goal is not to adapt to Spamayl under these circumstances''', but to use it as a way to learn to increase the body's efficiency to squeeze the most rest possible from each shuteye session, while having to stay awake and perform demanding duties for a lot of hours in the day. The brief experience with this nap-only behavior may be tempting for certain motivations behind some personal sleep experiments, without having to worry about the pressure to have to adapt.  

As with other nap-only schedules, Spamayl is subject to a range of potential health concerns. The lack of long sleeps in the original proposal means that the functioning of the [[Wikipedia:Glymphatic system|Glymphatic system]] is unlikely to be optimal. Physically active individuals would also likely not be able to rely on short naps alone due to the increased SWS requirement. Even after some time on the schedule, the underlying structure of each nap is still likely to be rather unpredictable, due to the lack of fixed sleep times. Inexperienced sleepers should not attempt to adapt to this schedule.

However, because of the nap only structure, it is important to remember that Spamayl may not fully support the [[wikipedia:Glymphatic_system|glymphatic system]]'s functions, which is a crucial aspect of well-being. Despite that the naps can be as long as ~60 m, sleepers can still wake in SWS, interrupting the cycle as an abrupt wake. The overall intense sleep pressure to be alleviated by the naps poses a question of whether several bodily functions also have to change due to a long exposure to a sleep regime with no core sleeps. Physically active lifestyles and average sleepers most likely cannot stick to the mere 20 m naps if their Spamayl only contains 20 m naps. Exercise and nutrition also play an important role in affecting sleep architecture of each nap, thus it is necessary to closely monitor these factors as well. Regardless, the unpredictability and flexibility of the nap timing makes it difficult for the body to know what naps to insert [[REM]] and/or SWS, given that REM naps, SWS naps and mixed naps can occur at any hours in the day when they are taken. These characteristics makes Spamayl a very inhospitable schedule for most humans, so '''inexperienced or non-mutant polyphasic sleepers should not seek to adapt to this schedule and maintain it long-term'''.  

In the proposal by Rasmus, he mentioned that most of the naps are placed during the night, since it is usually harder to stay awake at night than in the day. Adapted [[Polyphasic Sleep Discord|Discord]] user Charlaxy also took the majority of naps between 21 and 07. Nighttime naps allow for more SWS, and help reduce the need to take naps in the day, which can be socially intrusive.

== Variations ==

===Longer naps===

According to Rasmus, most naps are focused in the night, because it is usually harder to stay awake at night than during daytime. Adapted Discord user '''Charlaxy''' also reported the majority of naps at night after 8-10pm through early morning before 7am. Usually, nighttime naps allow for SWS gain and make sure one gets some night sleep, and limiting daytime naps to ensure that one can have a (reasonably) comfortable social life.

{{See|Hypothetical#Spamayl-40}}[[File:Spamayl Long Naps.png|thumb|A Spamayl variant with mid-cycle length naps|alt=]]

In recent years, there has been more successes in Spamayl with the use of longer naps. Any of the naps can be lengthened. The lengthened evening nap provides more time in SWS, and the lengthened morning nap provides more time in REM, making the schedule more easily sustainable. However, it is arguable that these longer "naps" do not technically count as naps, and should instead be considered to be shorter cores.  

==References ==

 

 

 

== References ==

{{reflist|refs=

{{reflist|refs=

<ref name="rasmus">{{cite web |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120120020801/http://trypolyphasic.com/forum/topic/154/spamayl-plan-discussion/ |title=Spamayl Plan + Discussion |access-date=2020-11-23}}</ref>

<ref name="rasmus">{{cite web |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120120020801/http://trypolyphasic.com/forum/topic/154/spamayl-plan-discussion/ |title=Spamayl Plan + Discussion |access-date=2020-11-23}}</ref>