Age
Age is one of the major considerations in deciding on a polyphasic schedule. In particular, younger people are advised to avoid cutting too much sleep, as their brains could still developing and cutting sleep could detrimentally affect this process.
Background
Younger people, particularly those under the ages of 16-20, have substantially higher sleep requirements than older adults. More specifically, they have a higher requirement of vital sleep stages (SWS and REM), which in general cannot be cut.
Moreover, light sleep, particularly the sleep spindles prominent in NREM2, has been suggested to play a role in brain development.[1] Cutting light sleep via polyphasic adaptation could do harm this process and impair cognitive development.
Recommendations
Disclaimer: These values are based on community experience and do not constitute medical advice. You are responsible for your own health and well-being.
| Age | Recommended minimum sleep | Recommended schedules |
|---|---|---|
| <16 | 7.5 hours | Extended biphasic schedules, non-reducing schedules |
| 16-18 | 6 hours | Normal biphasic schedules, DC1-ext, Triphasic-ext, QC0 |
| 18-21 | 5 hours | E2, DC1, E3-ext |
| >21 | 4 hours | All other than Nap only, E4, and Trimaxion |
In addition to health concerns, it is also important to note that cutting sleep is simply more difficult for younger individuals with higher baselines. While an adult might be able to handle E3 or DC2 relatively well as they are able to fulfill all of their vital sleep needs into the available sleep time in those schedules, a 15-year-old would not, as their sleep requirements will barely, if at all, fit into the total sleep on these.
Also, note that these values are for typical sleepers, and the exact values will differ based on your individual needs. The best way to determine your vital stage needs is by measuring a baseline with an EEG. With this information, you can be more informed about what schedules you should and should not try.
Underage-specific issues
Uncooperative parents
Sleep patterns, other than monophasic or simple biphasic ones, which closely resemble mono, are rarely ever naturally used nowadays. There are very few researches on complex polyphasic schedules, most of which weren't long term and are not popular either, so it's often stated by mainstream science that uninterrupted long sleep at night, probably supplied with a short daytime nap, is the most healthy schedule[2]. In fact, monophasic sleep became popular quite recently, and non-reducing sleep segmentation was widespread in the pre-industrial era[3] when electricity and artificial illumination weren't introduced yet. Several modern studies confirmed human's natural inclination to sleep segmentation in shorter photoperiods[4][5]. Therefore, splitting sleep without reduction is a safe for health sleep pattern and should fit underage, as light sleep isn't reduced. Nonetheless, parents often interrupt all the attempts which include staying awake during the night hours due to ignorance.
Persuasion strategies
The best way to persuade parents in this case is to familiarize them with the existing studies on segmented sleep. Such resources as Google Scholar can be used to find the research. The key search phrase is "segmented sleep". This should be enough to make a conclusion non-reducing splitted sleep is natural and healthy enough. This will also show your awareness of the sleep topic, which contributes to the parents' trust in your actions. Otherwise, if parents are unwilling to read the documents you provide or listen to explanation, the only polyphasic schedules that fit you are those, which closely resemble mono: E1-extended, Siesta-extended and BiphasicX.
School
Possible napping spots
Success stories
References
- ↑ Alex Chatburn, BA (Hons) (Psych), Scott Coussens, BSci (Hons), Kurt Lushington, PhD, Declan Kennedy, MD, Mathias Baumert, PhD, Mark Kohler, PhD, Sleep Spindle Activity and Cognitive Performance in Healthy Children, Sleep, Volume 36, Issue 2, 1 February 2013, Pages 237–243, https://doi.org/10.5665/sleep.2380
- ↑ Matthew Walker, PhD (September 1989). Why We Sleep: The New Science of Sleep and Dreams. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s41782-018-0034-0. ISBN 9780141983769.
- ↑ Ekirch, A. Roger (2001). "Sleep We Have Lost: Pre-industrial Slumber in the British Isles". American Historical Review. 106 (2): 343–386. doi:10.2307/2651611. JSTOR 2651611. PMID 18680884.
- ↑ Wehr, T. A. (June 1992). In short photoperiods, human sleep is biphasic. Journal of Sleep Research. 1 (2): 103–107. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2869.1992.tb00019.x. PMID 10607034.
- ↑ Hegarty, Stephanie (22 February 2012). The myth of the eight-hour sleep. BBC News.
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