Art Work Is Almost Done. New Cycle?

Almost done!

4:17 p.m.
I had my afternoon sleep period at 2:00 today and it went well.  I went to sleep within minutes and even though I felt a little groggy afterwards I was still refreshed.  As far as this morning went however, I was slightly tired up until about 9:00 or 10:00.  I’m not sure for the reasoning behind this as the mornings have usually been a time of alertness so far.  I don’t think that this was a sign for concern as it was only a slight drowsiness and I functioned completely fine.

This morning I got a lot of stuff done.  I did some work for my dad, I almost finished the art work that I had posted earlier in the blog and I also updated the blog a bit.  I don’t know if the sleep cycle has given me a new mentality or it just allows me to get more work done but for the amount of work that I have completed I am very satisfied.

I have no side effects to mention although I had been thinking and since this biphasic sleep cycle has gone so well and the transition has been relatively easy, I might be able to try another sleep routine later this summer.  I would like to try something that has even less rest in it.  I am thinking of the dymaxion cycle.  For information or an easy to understand graph, go here.  This cycle looks to be the most extreme as it calls for four 30 minute naps a day.  That’s a total of two hours slept a day.  Hopefully that will provide a greater challenge.

Let me know what you think of these ideas!

Another Early Morning

6:16 a.m.
I am very happy this morning.  This is because not only did I get work done last night, but I also went to bed right on time and fell asleep within ten minutes.  Then this morning I got and stayed up at 5:00 a.m., which hopefully means I am back on schedule. 

I went for a run this morning so I am also excited about that.  If anyone really dislikes the heat, like I do, but they live in a climate where they will get lots of heat all day, there’s a simple step you can take to be cooler; get up earlier.  It is much much colder early in the morning.  I am extremely happy I found this out as I am a lot more comfortable for most of the day.

Beautiful sunrise in Canada

I am still not experiencing any mental or physical side effects so that’s exciting.  I have found so far that this transition has been much easier than I thought it would have been.  I have barely been overly tired at all. 

I should have another post up after 3:00 p.m.

Post Game Update

12:39 a.m.
I got back from the football game around 11:00 o’clock and I was never once tired at all.  This could be because the two friends that I went with and I were in a bit of a silly mood and we kept each other awake well enough. 

The game was enjoyable even though our somewhat home team got destroyed 44-16.  It was embarrassing but still a good time.

As promised I worked on a project tonight; one that I have been putting off for months for no real good reason.  I will post a photo of how far I am tomorrow if I can find a single camera in this house that works. 

The first play of the game!

I think when it’s said that these types of sleep cycles make you more creative, they refer to the arts that depend on a spontaneous element.  By that I mean music and sculpture or painting.  If the art however needs serious thought and preplanning (writing a novel, realistic art) it becomes much harder to do at night.  The reason I say this is because A couple nights ago I attempted to continue a story I had previously started.  My brain couldn’t continue the story fluidly and I gave up.  Tonight however, at about midnight, I worked on the visual work that should be posted soon.  I found that I was much more creative, took risks more often and added an edge that otherwise could have been omitted. In summary, I think these sleep cycles help art that relies on emotion and reaction and hinders art that is dependent upon forethought and precise requirements.

Lastly I would just like to comment on my physical and mental state.  There is nothing significant to note.  However I feel that I am more alert tonight than I was last night.

Pre Football Game

3:23 p.m.
I’m about to head out to Hamilton for the third time in three days.  Today it’s to catch a Canadian football game with my friend.  We are going to see the Tiger-cats play and I’ll be getting picked up in about ten minutes.

My afternoon rest period went fine.  Initially I was worried because it took about ten minutes to fall asleep but I eventually dozed off and only awoke to the sound of my alarm.

This morning and afternoon I started some art and I’m excited about that.  I’m considering opening another page on the blog for my artwork that I complete during this experiment.  I have heard that these sleep cycles are supposed to make you more creative.  We’ll see.

I know it doesn't look like much now but hey, I just started

Still no side effects.  I only hope that tonight and tomorrow morning go along as scheduled.

Some Bumps Along The Way

6:19 a.m.
Again I did it this morning.  I woke up at five a.m. when my alarm went off then I lied down and fell asleep until six.  Yesterday I was okay with it but today I’m frustrated.  This needs to stop as sleeping for an extra hour a day is not part of the experiment and is cheating.  Tomorrow I will have to get up and walk around like I mentioned earlier.
 
I also fell asleep half an hour early last night so that’s upsetting as well.  I guess I spoke too soon when I said that this project was going well and it was easy.  As of now, I have gotten up at the right time two of the four mornings.  I have went to bed three of the five nights.  These are not good numbers. 
  
I guess I should keep in mind that I have read that it takes ten days to fully switch over sleep cycles. This had been my goal before but I had just been thinking that it would take ten days to not be really tired in the day.  I’m not sure if they meant ten days to be able to fall asleep and get up on time.
  
I don’t want to speak too soon but it appears that the afternoon rest period is the only one that has been constant for me.  This at least, is a good sign.
  
I’m not experiencing any physical or mental side effects at this point.  I’m just frustrated with myself that I haven’t been able to stay up and then get up when I have needed to.  If you guys have any suggestions you can tweet me or let me know in the comments.

After Graduation, Before Bedtime

11:15 p.m.
And I’m back once again.  The graduation ceremony went well; the speeches were good, the auditorium was nice and the ceremony was polished.  I wasn't tired at all tonight except about five minutes during the ride home.  This is kind of expected though since I was driving in the dark. 

The city of Hamilton at night

Right now I am a tad tired but it’s barely noticable.  Hopefully this trend continues and my alertness at night increases so that I am able to get some side projects finished up.  I’m still not mentally ready to begin the other projects this late at night but I promise that tomorrow I will definitely give it a try.

As of now I feel a little worn out but that’s it.  I would kind of expect this anyway since I was around people all day and this drains my energy.  I did not think that this experiment would be so easy.

I am going to try to throw another post up tonight since it’s still relatively early for me. If not there will definitely be a post early tomorrow morning as there always is.

Pre Graduation Ceremony

2:55 p.m.
Just a quick update before I head over to my girlfriends graduation ceremony.  I had my third afternoon nap today and I think my body is starting to get the idea.  I fell asleep fairly fast and I slept well for about forty minutes until my pastor came and did some rugby drills and worked on technique with my brother and his teammate.  I fell asleep again easily though and slept until my alarm went off.
  
I didn’t feel tired this morning at any point at all so that’s good to see.  I’m thinking that if I continue to be this awake throughout the day I will try cutting out the nap and sleep for four hours at night.  This would be in the middle of the summer and if everything goes well.
  
I am completely physically and mentally fine.  My only concern at this point is staying awake and alert at night.

The Third Morning

6:43 a.m.
This morning I woke up at five o’clock on schedule but then I lied down in my bed and fell asleep to six.  I didn’t mean to do this but my body must have still been tired from last night.  It’s an odd feeling when you say to yourself that you should go to bed earlier so that you can wake up on time but then realize that you actually can’t.
  
I don’t think that this will effect the experiment that much as it was only an hour in the morning.  I am however annoyed with myself because this could have been avoided.  As soon as I turn my alarm off I should walk around the house because firstly it wouldn’t allow me to go back to bed and secondly it would probably wake me up.
  
I feel completely rested.  I missed my run this morning but I’m not entirely upset because my legs have been so sore from yesterday and the day before that.  I am however annoyed that I’ve yet to gone to the gym.  Looking it up, my runs have been about three miles and the gym is four miles.  I’ll try to run there tomorrow morning and take the bus home.  Hopefully everything goes to plan.
  
As far as my body is, everything is good.  No headaches, shakes, stomach aches, light headedness.  I feel completely fine and alert.

Post Prom Update

11:44 p.m.
That is the most tired I have been at any time for this experiment.  I had attended prom in Hamilton, Ontario and on my way home I could have easily fallen asleep within ten seconds at any given time.  I was so tired that it was a physical struggle to stay awake.  The transition from the car to being inside my home has waked me up a bit.

Earlier today I mentioned that this project was going too well and it was boring.  The struggle I believe will be at night.  Throughout the day it isn’t too challenging to stay awake because I’m doing things but at night it’s different.  I’m not up and about or working on anything.  Tonight I began to feel tired at about ten thirty.  This has been the case with the two previous nights as well.  I hope that being fully awake from ten thirty to one is something that I can achieve.

Me and my beautiful girlfriend before prom

Prom was fun.  The food was good and the people were social.  Being an introvert though, my energy was drained pretty fast and that could play a huge role in the amount of tiredness I experienced before. 

Up until ten thirty though I was completely alert and ready to go.  This will prove a big challenge to tonight.  I hope that I can stay up until one o’clock.

After My Second Afternoon Nap

2:35 p.m.
I just finished my second afternoon rest period half an hour ago.  This time I was able to fall asleep fairly quickly and woke up at the sound of the alarm.  I did get up right after the alarm went off.  I had to move this sleep block forward so that I could be ready to take my girlfriend to the prom.  Tomorrow I will have to keep the sleep period at 1:00 p.m. so that I can make her graduation ceremony.  After that I will push the nap time back an hour to its original spot.
  
What has surprised me the most is how hungry this sleep cycle is making me.  Normally I won’t have to eat too much and I won’t be hungry but my stomach constantly wants food.  I haven’t figured out an eating schedule yet either.  I just want some approximate times to base my meals around.
  
Prior to my afternoon rest I had not experienced any drowsiness whatsoever.  I was completely awake and alert.  I wasn’t sure if I would be able to fall asleep quickly but I guess I did.
  
I haven’t experienced any effects mentally or physically today so that is a positive sign.  So far this experiment has been much more boring than I had hoped.

Second Update of the Second Day

8:02 a.m.
This morning my body has reacted much better than yesterday.  I feel completely normal with no negative side effects.  This is exciting because I thought that I would be very tired today.  It is however still only eight in the morning so there’s lot’s of time for things to go downhill.
   
Since prom is today and I need to pick up my suit from the tailors (I know I’m cutting it close).  I need to do this around three o’clock this afternoon to have time to drive to my girlfriend’s school half an hour away.  This means that I will be taking my afternoon sleep period earlier today.  Instead of the 2:00 to 3:00 block that I’m planning on using, I will attempt to sleep from 1:00 to 2:00.  This shouldn’t make much of a difference or mess up the experiment.

My girlfriend's corsage

 
I also noticed that my journal updates are becoming smaller.  I view this as a good thing because I am just reducing it to the most important information and it is quicker for my viewers.  If you want longer posts I’m sure I can handle it, just let me know.
 
Everything is functioning as it should so that’s exciting.

Second Morning In

5:20 a.m.
I wanted to get the computer before I went to sleep last night but I couldn’t as my brother was using it.  As I said before, I felt a tiredness last night and this prevented me from continuing a story that I’m working on.  It was about ten thirty and I decided that I should be productive while I was still awake.  I tried to write but my brain was too tired and I couldn’t really come up with anything that was good quality. 

That’s when I decided to watch TV to keep me up again.  Right now I’m only using TV as a means to keep me awake until my body adjusts and I can be productive late at night.  That’s at least my hope right now.
 
It should also be noted that I fell asleep about half an hour early when I was watching Conan.  This of course wasn’t on purpose and I woke up at 1:30 then went to bed immediately.  I don’t think this will have a big impact on my sleep schedule as it was only half an hour and close to my normal sleep period anyway.
 
This morning I felt much more rested than when I woke up yesterday so that’s good to see.  My body doesn’t have any of the headache/light headedness, stomach issues or shakes that I had yesterday but that could change. 
 
I have had a banana for breakfast and I will be going for a run right now since it’s already 5:30.

The picture above is that of one of the three bunnies that I had spotted this morning on my run. I saw two within the first couple minutes and another within the last minute of my run.  I thought that they were cute so I'll include a picture of one of them here.

Evening of the First Night

9:13 p.m.
I’m reaching the evening of the first day of this experiment.  I’m surprised that my body has not been excessively tired.  When I first committed to this project I envisioned myself being close to unconscious for the first few days.  This level of unawareness could come later though but hopefully not.
  
I’m experiencing the first I’ve been a little drowsy since early this morning.  This could be because I had two slices of pizza for dinner and that would not give me any energy.  I know as of this far my eating habits have been atrocious.  My hope is that this tiredness will fade away once my body becomes used to the schedule.  Otherwise I will have to include a third rest period.  If I am forced to do this I will keep it as short as possible.  Probably thirty minutes and around eight o’clock p.m. 
  
Thankfully the mild body irritations I was experiencing this morning have not returned and that includes the shaky hands.  I will state confidently that the shakes were due to the cold I was experiencing.  Tomorrow I will wear thicker clothing in the morning and change into lighter wear once the heat kicks in. 
  
Everything so far is going well.  I just hope my body doesn’t react too badly in the next few days.

P.s. Prom is actually tomorrow night.  This won’t effect the experiment too much if at all.

After My First Afternoon Rest Period

3:01 p.m.
The first mid day nap did not go well.  I went to bed ten minutes before two to give my body some time to prepare to sleep.  I think I had dozed off or was at least close to sleeping when the phone rang.  Five times.  My mom was phoning at twenty after two but I wasn’t able to get the phone on the fifth ring. She phoned again later at three because there has apparently been a mix up with the dates for prom.   
 
After the phone call at 2:20 I couldn’t fall asleep though I did rest.  I hope that this is enough to get me to one o’clock tonight.  We’ll see.
 
So far the adjustment has not been bad at all which is a good thing for me.  Talking to my girlfriend though she believes the third day will be the hardest.  This makes sense as the body will be getting increasingly tired with so little rest.  My perhaps unrealistic hope though is that I maintain this level of tiredness (I’m barely tired at all) throughout the entire adjustment period.
 
I’m not sure if I commented again but the headache, light headedness and stomach issues all went away by noon.  It’s going pretty well so far.

Second Post of the First Day

9:10 a.m.
It feels extremely odd that I have been up for four hours and normally I would have been just getting started in my first class at school.  As of now it feels that I have opened my whole day up and I have an endless amount of time to do whatever I please.  So far I have read, set up the blog, and watched an episode of criminal minds (I dozed off for the last ten minutes).  I have been very lazy for four hours but the thing is it’s only nine o’clock in the morning; I still have my whole day ahead of me, except of course for one nap.
  
As I mentioned before, I dozed off for no more then ten minutes.  I wouldn’t be so concerned about this except I am not tired at all.  This is bad news because from about 7:00 until 8:20 I was extremely drowsy resulting in me resting for a few moments.  I wasn’t sure if I would be able to stay up until 2 o’clock on the first day.  Even if when switching sleep cycles you’re not supposed to be able to stay up for the nine or ten hours after the first night I count this as a loss.
 
The last thing to note is my hunger.  Normally I have dinner at around six or seven then don’t eat until breakfast twelve hours later.  That is pretty average for human’s eating habits. What I thought would happen was that my body wouldn’t get hungry until seven in the morning and I could continue to have three meals a day.  This is not the case.  Even though I had steak last night at six, I was extremely hungry at 5 a.m. today.  And since about seven I have been starving.  That’s why I am about to make some eggs for my second breakfast. I also had a banana at around six thirty but I’m counting that as my first breakfast.  It appears right now that I will have to eat about five meals a day with smaller portions.  The approximate times they would happen would be about 5:00, 7:30/8:00, noon, 6:00 and 10:00.  I don’t mind this new meal schedule at all and if I remember correctly, many smaller meals is actually much healthier.
  
I’m wide awake and alert which concerns me because of my ten minute nap.  I am also very hungry.  My mental state appears to be fine (maybe skittish) but I just noticed now as I’m typing that my hands are shaking.  I could attribute that to the fact that I’m slightly cold even with a cardigan on.
  
I thought about changing into pants because I was cold earlier (I never experienced being awake on purpose that early before). However, I decided against it not wanting to change outfits multiple times a day.  I think that I may have to wear pants and sweaters in the morning then change into shorts and t-shirts around noon or before my second rest period. 
  
I should have another update after three o’clock.

Morning After the First Night

6:09 a.m. June 26, 2012
Running sucks.  I thought that it would be a good way to start the day and it was.  That doesn’t change that it sucks.  I woke up at 5:00 a.m. right on schedule and was going to go for a run right away but it was still too dark.  Instead I had breakfast and waited half an hour.  Do not eat cheerio’s minutes before you go for any kind of run.  That’s an important lesson.
  
This morning when I awoke I did not feel rested at all.  I slept for nearly the entire 1 to 5 time-period with a little trouble at the start just because my body hasn’t had the need to fall asleep right away.  Nevertheless, I guess that I fell asleep with twenty minutes after 1 o’clock.  However, when I woke up I felt like I hadn’t gotten any rest at all.  This was not a problem until just now as my head is starting to feel a little funny.   It has a tinge of a headache and my head almost feels light headed.  I don’t quite feel myself this morning, (I had developed a bit of a sore throat a few days ago.  The physical senses being a little off might be a direct cause of having a small cold).
  
Last night it felt very odd making myself stay up until one o’clock when my body was telling me to go to sleep.  I watched the daily show, the Colbert Report and Conan.  Upon telling my girlfriend that I was in the midst of watching these, in all her subtly she texted me, “Ohhh so this sleep cycle will give you lots more time to watch tv.”  This was not my intention; to watch more TV.  I had just watched these shows to keep me up last night.  However, she raised a question that I had to mull over; “What am I going to do with all the extra time?”  I will attempt to finish as many side projects as I can.  These include unfinished paintings, short stories, books I’ve yet to read and other small undertakings.  So I guess that’s my goal; to have more time to complete more things.
  
It is now that I feel my stomach not agreeing with something.  Was it the cheerio’s before my morning run? Quite possibly.  It also could be messing around with me since I am messing around with my body.  I will comment later.
  
I guess I had not told my parents about this sleep cycle as both asked me at separate times this morning why I was up.  They showed some interest that I am starting a sleep cycle.  I am glad that I did not wake anyone up today though as the alarm went off for a couple minutes and the shower was turned on before six o’clock.
  
Looking back I realize that I have not disclosed my actual schedule.  It is simple and is as follows: 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. is sleeping time.  2 p.m. to 3p.m. is also sleeping time.  That’s all for now.  If I decide to include other activities in my schedule such as my morning runs or yard work I will write it down.
  
I have done minimal research so my hope is that the afternoon sleeping period is very flexible. I mean that some days I can start it at twelve and go to one or start it later at four or five.  If I have to rest at one o’clock everyday then this experiment becomes very restricting.
  
After the first night my body feels off and uncomfortable.  My eyes feel as if I have just woken up an hour and a half after I woke up.  My stomach feels funny and my head isn’t doing too well either.  Last night was a bit of a challenge to stay awake and I don’t feel rested.  I feel as if I am running off of four hours of sleep (makes sense).  As of now I am very much looking forward to my afternoon nap.

Preview for Things to Come

5:42 p.m.
Tonight’s the night.  I’m not too excited but I am a little hesitant.  I only had three exams this semester as I had a spare during one period.  My last exam was this morning, it was a geography course; resource management.  I’m starting the experiment so shortly after my school year because I’m afraid of putting it off too long as teenagers are prone to do.  I also don’t see the point in procrastinating when this can be started as early as possible.
  
At this point I have two main concerns.  The first is that my phone only allows me to set one alarm at a time.  That means that I will have to change the alarm twice daily.  Being forgetful doubled with the fact that I will be extremely tired I am worried that I might sleep through a rest period and destroy the trial up to that point.  I looked for cooking timers but we don’t have any in my house.  I will attempt to use my phone’s alarm.  I only see this as a threat for the first week because I hope that my body will become accustomed to the schedule and I will be able to fall asleep faster.
  
That leads into my second concern; falling asleep.  I’m naturally not able to go to sleep quickly, whether it’s due to too much natural sugar in the evening or I haven’t trained my body well enough I’m not sure.  Where it becomes real concerning is now that in southern Canada we are getting into the actual heat of summer this could create a discomfort that I won’t easily overcome and sleep.  I do not like heat and much prefer winter to summer.  If the heat continues (the forecast as of 5:48 p.m. is high 20’s and low 30’s for the rest of the week), I may not be able to fall asleep as fast as needed.  This is the lesser concern because I feel that since I’m going to be staying up until one o’clock, my body will be so exhausted it will fall asleep quickly, (my normal bedtime is 10:30). 
  
I’m strangely not concerned about how this experiment will effect my everyday schedule.  I won’t be doing much this summer, mostly yard and house work.  I will however be playing with my church’s band on Tuesday nights and performing on Sunday mornings.  Hopefully I will not be musically limited by the lack of rest I will be getting.
  
I also have a beautiful girlfriend that unfortunately lives half an hour away.  This could pose a problem if we are together for the entire day or at the very least it would create awkward or uncomfortable situations.  That reminds me though that I need to check with her to make sure we are on the same page with the sleep cycle.  I mentioned it to her previously but she may not have thought that I was going to take it seriously (I have many side projects with few completed).  She may be upset that I am starting now since her prom is on Thursday, three days from today.  I may be reporting back on this situation but if I don’t everything went smoothly.
  
Lastly, I should mention my habits and physical shape.  I am a six foot male that weighs 185 pounds who is a little concerned about the amount of fat I have put on recently.  I will be attending a gym hopefully six times a week to work out in preparation for football season.  I have an average diet, which is to say on the unhealthy side.  I have been trying to eat less meat and more veggies lately.  I think I should include what I am eating in this experiment.  Today I had nothing for breakfast (I usually do have breakfast), two hotdogs for lunch and I just had a sugar filled ice tea as I was writing this.  I have never taken drugs, I haven’t had alcohol in a year and I have taken a puff of a cigarette once.  I don’t plan on consuming any of those within the time frame of the experiment.  Now I’m a little excited.

The Basics

June 3
I’m going to sleep for five and a half hours a day. This is called the Biphasic cycle and is the one that I will be using.  I decided on this one because it takes the least amount of will power of all the sleep cycles except of course for the mono-phase, which is by far the most common sleep cycle ever. 
  
What surprised me a few months ago is that there are many alternatives to the common eight hours of sleep a night.  The only other cycle I had heard of was the Uberman; 20 or 30 minute naps six times a day.  I dismissed this because like most people, it’s not realistic for me.  I go to school and play football.  I cannot take naps throughout the day, it’s just not accepted.  Could you imagine if I said to my coach “could you just let me sit out for this set of drills; I need to catch up on my sleep.” Laughter from my teammates and disbelief from my coach would ensue.  The Everyman cycle involves a three hour nap added with three half hour naps while the Dymaxion cycle is four thirty minute naps throughout the day.  These have all been tried successfully before. 
  
I decided to nix those cycles and attempt the biphasic for one main reason; schedule.  I will be returning to high school in the fall for my last year.  As mentioned before, I can’t depend on another cycle throughout a school year.  This isn’t realistic.  The Biphasic cycle allows me to sleep at night, like everyone else but gives me an extra few hours during the day by adding a one and a half hour nap shortly after lunch.  I plan to achieve this be using a spare (period without a class) to catch up on my rest.  Whether this nap is done by going home or by finding a place within my school, (Brantford Collegiate Institute) I’m not sure yet.  I will decide when the time comes.
  
I have decided to structure this experiment or hopefully book by setting it up as a journal.  Experts have said that it takes ten days for one’s body to accept a new sleep cycle.  Throughout these days I will be writing down how my body and mind react to such a trial.  I will also keep journaling during the summer months as long as there is something significant to write down.  I will also examine how my school year is performed.  I imagine that there will be much to read about during the first month of this experiment, not much in the middle as my body has fully adjusted and then much again to read about as I have to adapt to the school year. 
  
I’m exciting to try this experiment as I have seen that those who try this have become more creative without any negative side effects.  If this experiment is performed    successfully I hope to someday set a sleep cycle revolution, if you will, in place.  This is to allow people the opportunity to use a different cycle without being prejudiced against.
  
I’ll use my Blackberry to set off alarms to keep me on schedule.  That said, you will not hear from me again for at least two or three weeks (until exams are over).