General Adaptation

I believe I've finally reached the stage of general adaptation.  That's not to say I don't have slip-ups here and there, as I do - but overall, they seem to represent the minority of my schedule, and I seem to be largely moving forward without much variance in my schedule.

That's why, as of Day 60 of my sleep project, I'm declaring myself generally adapted.  What does "generally adapted" mean?  Well, it essentially means what I wrote in the beginning.  I'm not going to say I don't experience any sleepiness during my waking hours, as that would be disingenuous, but I've largely become accustomed to this new schedule and aren't experiencing dramatic shifts or disruptions.  In short - it's sustainable.  

Part of this is also because I notice my daily reports aren't changing all that much anymore.  While the first two phases (and beginning of phase three) experienced the most change, my recent daily reports have trended towards "Day went well, naps went well." While some may take comfort in knowing my general state of affairs is satisfactory, I'm sure this is less than useful to the average reader, and I had to ask myself what adaptation really looks like.  It's possible that I might reach a "Full" adaptation, whereby I don't experience any tiredness whatsoever outside of my naps, but I don't know yet whether to expect that.  More to the point, I think I'd be fine with Everyman even if I did have to deal with some occasional tiredness - it's more than worth that small price to pay for greatly increased sleep quality and waking hours in which to do things.

Thus, I have concluded my daily reports, and will not be taking regular, daily measurements in the vitals log anymore.  However, it's quite possible, even likely, that every so often I'll do a quick vital update and report of any changes.  Till then, I'll be working on trying to graph and otherwise interpret the data I've collected into something meaningful, accessible, and hopefully of use to the large community, both polyphasic and monophasic.

It's been great exploring this new frontier.  In many ways, I felt like an astronaut, adventuring into space for the first time, both thrilled and unsure of what they were about to discover.  While this is by no means new territory for mankind, it is to me, and represents a completed journey on my own little path of self-discovery. In this case, it would seem appropriate to reverse the famous line from Neil Armstrong's first words on the moon: "One small step for mankind, one giant leap for (a) man."

Sloth On the Moon

Everyman Phase Three: Day 31

Current Schedule: Core Sleep: 10pm-1am  Naps: 6:00-6:20am, 11:20-11:40am, 5:40-6pm.

I had a little snafu this morning. Everything seemed to be going along well enough, and around 3am I went to the couch to get some studying done, although I was feeling some tiredness creep in.  Although I didn't lie down on the couch or anything, I dozed in and out of sleep for a bit.  Finally, I got up and went to bed for my first nap.

From this, I learned some things.  One, if you're feeling sleepy/tired, do something to wake yourself up now - don't expect yourself to magically get more awake over time.  While that can happen, you shouldn't bank on it. In my case, I was going to shave and get a shower, but was trying to wait until around 4am, since 4-6am is when historically I'm at greatest risk for falling asleep out of schedule.  However, by withholding those activities to wake me, as it was only 3am, I wound up drifting in and out of sleep until 5am and essentially sleeping out of schedule anyway.  In short, don't try to fit your tiredness into a predefined schedule. While you should have a plan in general, if you're tired now, do something now to wake yourself up, lest you fall back asleep.

Otherwise, the day went well - work was great, naps were on schedule, etc.  My 2nd nap was a bit lighter, but I wouldn't be surprised if that was because my body had acquired some useful sleep during the dozing-off period and thus didn't need the 2nd nap rest as much as usual.

Updated vitals here.

Everyman Phase Three: Day 30

Current Schedule: Core Sleep: 10pm-1am  Naps: 6:00-6:20am, 11:20-11:40am, 5:40-6pm.

Today was a pretty good, productive day. I switched up some of my activities during the early morning, so that instead of shaving directly after waking up, I'm waiting till around 4am or so in order to do it.  This has the benefit of giving me a task to due that requires concentration during the most difficult (for me) time period, and it also reduces premature onset of five o'clock shadow while still at work (facial hair grows extremely fast for me - I nearly had to shave twice a day at bootcamp just to keep the DIs off my back).
 
I also started working on improving my pullups using the classic Recon Ron program,  While a recurring shoulder injury limits some of the things I can do, I've been trying to rehab my shoulder to get it's strength back.

Overall, it was a pretty good, straightforward day.  Naps were at the appropriate times, and I didn't have any significant deviances from the schedule.

Updated vitals here.

Everyman Phase Three, Day 29

Current Schedule: Core Sleep: 10pm-1am  Naps: 6:00-6:20am, 11:20-11:40am, 5:40-6pm.

Today went mostly according to plan - mostly.  That is to say, some of it didn't - specifically, I found it a little too cozy and warm in bed after the first nap, and so lingered in it for about an hour or so.  I was feeling a little tickle in the back of my throat (which sometimes can signal the beginning of a sore throat/cold), and so figured the extra sleep might be able to head it off, if it actually was something.  To be honest, though, a good portion was also just because I found the bed so warm and cozy at the time.

I felt pretty good the rest of the day, and the tickle in my throat eventually disappeared.  However, I did feel a little bad for not sticking to the schedule precisely.  Nontheless, I feel pretty good about my progress thus far.  I wonder if I might need to modify Everyman a little to work for me, perhaps through the addition of a nap or the elongation of the core, or if perhaps these deviances from the schedule will slowly subside with the passage of time. Either way, I feel fairly good about my prospects for continuing an Everyman (or at least Everyman-like) schedule long term.

Updated vitals here.

Everyman Phase Three: Day 28

Current Schedule: Core Sleep: 10pm-1am  Naps: 6:00-6:20am, 11:20-11:40am, 5:40-6pm.

Today was a pretty good day, no errors! That's not to say it wasn't difficult, because it was at times, overall everything went according to plan.  I was able to get around the 4am-6am lull by shopping at the local 24/7 grocery store.  The movement, activity, and focus needed for a successful trip was enough to power me through that section and make it to the first nap.

In the early afternoon, I had some difficulty with my body trying to nod off.  While my body doesn't get as much sleep as it used to, I still like the idea of "resting".  That is, doing something quiet or that doesn't need a lot of movement, to let your body heal and rest.  The tricky part, as you might expect, it to avoid sleeping while you're "resting."

At any rate, I'm hoping I can have some more days like this.  One step closer to being adapted! Updated vitals here.