Drink. Drive. Go To Jail.

Of all of the accounts that I’ve read about other people’s experiences with this nutso sleep schedule, I never really found anyone talking about how much of a roller coaster it is. During one awake period, I feel fantastic, so much it baffles me to think of how little I’m sleeping. Then, the very next awake period hits you with a ton eye-dropping bricks. My guess is that my body is simply still trying to adjust. It’s getting closer, but then, just like a tantrum-throwing toddler realizes they are no match for the superior reason of the power-wielding adult in their lives, it lifts it’s legs and make you carry it if you want it to move at all. Well, I’ve got news for you body, you’re coming with me. Now get in the car and behave!

The Notes

Here are my notes for day 4. Wow, I can’t believe I’ve made it this far.

Nap 1 – 1:00pm – 1:25pm – After reading how more more and more people suggest 20-25 minute nap periods, I decided to give it a whirl. Also, since falling asleep in my current fatigued state is no longer a challenge, I’ve also cut back the pre-nap “relaxation period”. I think I woke up moderately less groggy.

Nap 2 – 5:00pm – 5:25pm – I finally emerged from the house. Erin and I walked down to Wild Oats to grab some groceries. It was kind of a crazy experience. My head is still a little foggy, though it seems to be less so after I wake up. My body was almost numb as we walked. It was like I was, with little effort, floating down the sidewalk.

This worried me at first—I didn’t want to tax my body too much by walking the 4 miles round trip, but it felt so nice to be out in the cool, crisp, air. We pushed on, and after being in the store for about 10 minutes, I really started to crash. A small, dull headache set in. In fact, it’s still kind of lingering now. I grew less and less aware of what was going on around me and it became almost impossible for me to make any of our culinary decisions. Broccoli? Sure. Amaranth instead of Millet? Sure. Head Cheese? Sure. I’m a vegetarian, but I’m sure if that last one would have been thrown out, I would have let it slide on by, completely unaware.

We got back to the house at about 4:45, just in time for my nap. I probably should have pushed it back a little bit, to give my body some time to come down from the walk back, loaded with groceries I might add. I remember looking at the clock at 4:58 and thinking I would hold off on starting the timer; I could use those two minutes to relax further. Wrong. I woke up at 5:05. Realizing the timer hadn’t started, I reset it for 20 minutes and went back to sleep. I was worried that my brain would use some sleepy logic to sneak in some extra rest, but it turns out it’s still pretty trustworthy.

At 5:25, I woke up, hopped out of bed, and surprisingly felt a good deal reenergized. Like I said, my headache was still present, if not subsiding, but my thoughts seemed to have returned. In fact, I think this entry is the most coherent writing I’ve done since I started this experiment. Good signs.

Nap 3 – 9:00pm – 9:25pm – Pretty standard nap. I went to bed at 8:58 and was up at 9:25. I did spend a few more minutes than usual working on going to sleep, since I didn’t have my pre-nap nap. Hopefully, it won’t be so hard to stay awake until 1am tonight; for the last two nights, this has been really tough. On the same note, I was having a hard time making it to 9:00pm tonight.

Nap 4 – 1:00am – 1:30am – Another standard nap. I can report that I did, indeed, have an easier time making to the 1am nap. And sleep was pretty deep; I woke up wondering how long I’d been asleep. Now it’s off to see how productive I’ll be tonight. Productivity has definitely taken a dive in the past two days. I just pull up a project and just stare at it, until I give up and go do something else to help the time pass till the next nap. Luckily, it’s been a weekend, so I’m not really behind on anything. However, it’s now Monday—time for some work! I really am starting to miss my normal, clear-thinking self. Come back, self.

Nap 5 – 5:00am – 5:30am – The period between nap 4 and 5 was easily one of the best I’ve had yet. I remember thinking that I was so awake that even if I closed my eyes and tried to sleep, I wouldn’t be able to drift off. What’s more, I didn’t really feel tired until about 15-30 minutes before 5am. Another sign that I’m probably through the worst of it, and that this might actually work. Too cool.

The nap, again, went off without a hitch. I vaguely remember waking up in the middle, thinking maybe I should just go ahead and get up, but, instead, I succumbed to the call of continued slumber. This might account for the return of the grogginess—that, or the fact I’ve only slept 12 hours in the past 4 1/2 days. Yeah, that might play a role too.

Extra Micro Nap – I don’t know how I can go from one of the best awake period to the worst that quickly. For some reason, around 6:45, I just couldn’t keep my eyes open. I tried fighting it for a bit, then decided that it would be better to go in for a bumpy landing now, rather than keep fighting and risk crashing hard. I remember reading that Steve Pavlina was inserting an extra small nap between his 1am and 5am naps. At 6:50, I set my alarm for 15-minutes and passed out. When I woke up, I still felt groggy, but not as bad, so I decided to go do the dishes. I just finished them and am happy to report I’m feeling much better—not as good as I was earlier, but it’s only 40 more minutes to my next nap. Disaster avoided.

Nap 6 – 9:00am – 9:17am Wuh? You’re cutting it down further? Not really. I meant to sleep for 25 minutes, but woke up again 17 minutes into the nap. If going back to sleep had anything to do with the epic drowsiness, then anytime that I wake up in the middle of the nap, I’m going to get up. This is an experiment after all, right?

The Food

Breakfast – Same old oatmeal with flax seeds, apple juice, and chamomile

Lunch – Vegetable Masala

Dinner – Tempeh Burritos

Other snacks – a tad bit of ice cream, some ‘hot just veggies’, and some grapes

Other Activites

Walked to the store – 4 miles roundtrip