QC0
The Quad Core (QC) family of schedules, the newest schedule group, are very unusual in structure and thus very unpopular due to the intrusive sleep blocks, difficulty in scheduling and wake time activities. They are the series of schedules that contain 4 core sleeps, totaling at least 6h sleep. So far, the only tried-and-successful schedule in this category is Quad Core 0 (QC0). Mostly because of the heavy focus on core sleeps, QC schedule(s) have a very low number of naps, or no naps at all.
Similar to Tri Core sleep, an advantage of QC schedule(s) is that they divide the day into several awake blocks with 4 core sleeps spreading across the day. Because different core sleeps yield different percentages of sleep types, this supports alertness and wakefulness and keeps homeostatic pressure low. Unlike schedules with a 6h uninterrupted core sleep, QC promotes deeper sleep compression with its single-cycle core sleeps, despite its decently high total sleep.
Overview
- Proposed by: GeneralNguyen
- Alternatively known as: Quad Core, 4C0, FC0 (Four Core 0), Quadphasic
- Total sleep: 6h
- Classification: Quad Core schedule
- Specification: 4 core sleeps of 1 full cycle each
- Mechanism: 2-3 core sleeps around graveyard hours and SWS peak hours, and 1 core sleep in the day. Similar to Dual Core sleep, cores placed around SWS/REM peak hours have more SWS and REM respectively. 2 other cores contain mixed sleep stages. It is also possible to not schedule any core sleeps in the SWS peak hours thanks to a decent amount of total sleep.
- Adaptation difficulty: Hard
- Ideal scheduling: One core sleep in SWS peak/before midnight, the next 2 cores are 2.5-3h from each other and the last core is in early/mid afternoon. However, it is possible to schedule 4 equidistant core sleeps similar to Dymaxion structure.
Brief history
The first QC schedule, QC0, contains no naps and only 4 core sleeps. It was briefly mentioned in the Ubersleepbook by Puredoxyk under the name “Alternate Segmented” variant. However, there was no adaptation success ever reported at that date, until 2020. No optimal scheduling was mentioned in the book either. There have been some attempts up to date, but with limited success. Currently, QC0 is one of the 5 polyphasic schedules with only core sleeps (the other 4 being Segmented, Siesta, CAMAYL and Triphasic).
Scheduling
Similar to Tri Core 1, the default QC variant involves having 3 core sleeps concentrated around night hours to limit inconvenient daytime sleep as much as possible, while the fourth core is placed in a position similar to the daytime Siesta core to balance the wake gap. One core sleep is more SWS-oriented, one is REM-oriented and the remaining 2 contain mixed stages. Because of the segmentation into multiple small core sleeps, sleep repartitioning and quality is expected to be deeper than a usual, uninterrupted 6h core sleep (e.g, E1 core). SWS deprivation symptoms are less visible on this schedule than on Triphasic, TC1 and other low-total-sleep schedules because there are 4 core sleeps to support SWS. However, as adaptation progresses, it is also normal to run into SWS wakes especially in the core sleeps around SWS peak and early second half of the night hours (00:00-04:00 AM) when SWS pressure still lingers. Theoretically, the adaptation first starts with SWS getting into all core sleeps, and REM deprivation ensues. As REM pressure builds up, both SWS and REM will be repartitioned into each core sleep, and finally an equilibrium is reached when waking up from all core sleeps is refreshing and energy level throughout the day becomes stable. A core near or at sunrise hours will contain predominantly REM, while a core around SWS peak hours will heavily favor SWS. With this feature, QC0 also possesses the characteristics of Dual Core sleep.
It is also possible to schedule QC0 equidistantly, which resembles a Dymaxion structure with core sleeps. This may facilitate falling asleep as the wake gap between each core is increased to 4h30m rather than being much closer together at night. However, even this distribution so far has reported no success.
Adaptation Difficulty
Despite looking to be a somewhat “easier” Triphasic variant with an extra core sleep, most inexperienced polyphasic attempters reported difficulty falling asleep in some sleep blocks, especially the cores during graveyard hours when adaptation first begins. It is then increasingly difficult to handle SWS/REM wakes at the end of each core sleep as sleep onset issue remains present. This is most likely because of the schedule’s total sleep and distribution of sleep blocks, which does not initially raise homeostatic pressure high enough to facilitate sleep. Finally, poor quality core sleeps result in an oversleep when they finally manage to fall asleep in a core as sleep pressure becomes high enough. Therefore, it is advised that if it is impossible to fall asleep for a core after lying down for ~20m, one should wake up and wait for the next core sleep rather than trying to fall asleep and risking SWS wakes. As part of a typical 90m core sleep, failure to fall asleep fast enough will result in mid-cycle wakes; this makes adaptation to QC0 very challenging, and inexperienced sleepers should NOT attempt this schedule. Meditation methods as a way to relax and aid the body in preparation for sleep are recommended at an early adaptation stage for this schedule.
Lifestyle Consideration
Lifestyle-wise, QC0 only benefits work-from-home occupations and individuals with higher sleep requirements than average (at least 8.5h and up to 9.5h monophasic) to have adequate sleep pressure to fall asleep in all 4 cores. With 4 core sleeps, however, it can support physical activities to some extent (assuming normal SWS requirements and some increase due to exercising). Eventually, though, QC0 is still considered a subpar choice to Triphasic-extended, which is more beginner-friendly and sees plentiful success; it also faces stiff usage competition from other more popular multi-core schedules (Dual Core and Tri Core) in general. The strongest reason one would adapt to this schedule first would be to transition to CAMAYL [insert link to CAMAYL page] to gain a lot of flexibility in scheduling core sleeps and assist in a more hectic, changing lifestyle.
