The dymaxion sleep cycle is one of the extreme types of polyphasic sleep.
Only a few percentage of people have been reported to successfully master this sleep cycle.
The Dymaxion sleep cycle is considered to be extreme, due to its limited sleep hours. Unlike other sleep cycles, the Dymaxion sleep cycle only gives you an option of naps. Typically, this sleep cycle incorporates 30 minutes of naps four times a day. Thus, in total, you only sleep for 2 hours a day.
Dymaxion sleep pattern lacks core sleep making it more hardcore.
People who can survive on shorter sleep patterns are able to master this cycle because they are less susceptible to sleep deprivation.
Furthermore, their sleep compression and quality are normally on a positive side.
Because of its relatively short sleep duration, this type of polyphasic sleep can induce sleep pressure and fatigue.
Do I Need The Dymaxion Sleep Cycle?
It is believed by many that Dymaxion sleep cycle is only for the high functioning and efficient individuals looking to be more productive. This is not always the case.
Sometimes, you are simply looking for a way to compensate for the lost hours of sleep.
Choosing the ideal sleep cycle allows you to sneak in enough sleep to tackle fatigue.
Yet, even with its appeal to counter time whilst providing the needed sleep, this sleep cycle can come off as unrealistic to many.
You must bear in mind that if executed the right way, the Dymaxion sleep cycle is actually very beneficial.
With every spout of napping, you help to improve your brain function in connection with your work.
After every nap episode, you wake up more alert and focused.
This is very good for your mind especially if you want to get serious work done.
So before you embark on this journey, you must ask yourself it is realistic and necessary for you.
Getting Started With The Dymaxion Sleep cycle
If you have gotten this far into the reading this means that you have decided to try it.
Or maybe you are still considering it.
Either way, you must appropriately prepare yourself before you immerse yourself deeply into this sleep cycle.
Some of the common thing you should prepare yourself with include;
- Train to take naps
- Practice sleep restrictions
- Learn to wake up early
- Work on your sleep hygiene
Train To Take Naps
As you begin to prepare for the Dymaxion sleep cycle, train yourself to take naps.
Remember, these are the fundamentals of the sleep cycle.
Napping is not sleeping.
It is limited to 20 minutes before you transition into the third stage of the sleep cycle. So if you are struggling to wake up, you can even begin by using an alarm clock until your body gets a hang of it.
Because you will have only two hours of sleep, this is also time to train yourself to fall asleep faster.
So you can make the most of the little time you have to sleep.
Practice Sleep Restrictions
You should begin to train yourself to sleep less.
This includes reducing the hours you spend in bed.
You will spend a lot of time learning to do this until you find your gist.
Learn To Wake Up Early
Learning to wake up early gets you closer to your goal. This is because you are training your body to get used to the discomfort. As you prepare yourself to start Dymaxion sleep cycle, you must also remember to have a plan.
Nobody wants to stay up with limited sleep to just hang out.
You will end up getting tired, falling asleep and ruining the cycle anyways.
So you want your schedule to be filled with meaningful work or plans.
Remember Dymaxion sleep cycle is designed for people who are already busy and looking for more time within the 24-hour period to be more productive. It is not designed for you to binge watch your favorite shows.
Work On Your Sleep Hygiene
As you begin to follow the Dymaxion sleep cycle, every second count.
Thus, you should learn to improve your sleep hygiene.
This fosters comfortable sleep whilst allowing you to fall asleep faster.
Improve natural light, invest in a good pillow and mattress and sleep in a natural position.
You should also incorporate healthy activities such as meditation for relaxed sleeping.
How To Use It To Your Advantage
The Dymaxion sleep cycle is not only designed to make you stay up longer.
It allows you to structure your work whilst enhancing your productivity.
As you wake up from each nap, you are mind is fresh and focused, allowing more ideas and flow into your work.
To devise a workable schedule, you must be aware of the energy fluctuations throughout the day, between your sleep and awake hours. However, this may also mean that your lifestyle also changes to become low maintenance so you can sneak in these naps.
You can divide your schedule into three energy levels throughout the day.
These include;
- Intense focus
- Moderate focus
- Rote Activity
Intense Focus
The intense focus is the first level.
During this level, you have the most energy and focus, thus, you should reserve this time for important tasks and those that need your utmost attention and focus. During this time, you engage in activities such as creative writing, public speaking and important meetings.
Moderate Focus
At this level, you have moderate energy.
During this time, you do the regular.
Reply to your email, research content and make a few calls,
These types of activities require moderate attention and focus.
They also tend to be less demanding, so less energy is needed.
Rote Activity
In the third level, your energy is minimal.
So you must also engage in tasks that require minimal mental energy.
Go for redundant tasks that use the memory-based part of your brain, rather than having to work it.
These types of tasks include social media posting, filling in subscriptions and making small payments.
You don’t need a scale to know which energy kevel you are on.
Simply know your body and plan accordingly.
When you are at your high, at level 1, do the most and avoid distractions.
Then, begin to transition as your energy levels decrease.
The last thing you want to do when you are going through the Dymaxion sleep cycle is to overwork yourself.
Your body is already stretched and at risk of constant fatigue.
Thus, you should be very wary of this.
Creating The Necessary Environment
Going for a sleep cycle like the Dymaxion is already straining to your body.
Thus, you want to ensure that you have the right environment to prevent from stressing it too much.
Work towards providing excellent sleep hygiene for yourself. The first thing you need with the 2 hours you receive of sleep is proper light exposure when you wake up throughout the day. This is the only way you can maintain the cycle.
If you are not exposed to enough light, then your energy levels will also be low.
You will always be too tired to work or even be up.
So create a sleeping environment that exposes you to natural light as soon as you wake up.
Your energy levels also depend on your body temperature.
It is high during the intense focus level and decreases as you go.
So try out hacks that help to foster this.
Many people use coconut oil for their polyphasic sleep cycles.
One to two spoons of coconut oil a day will increase your body temperature by 1 degree Fahrenheit.
A degree increase seems low.
Yet, it will do wonders for enhancing your energy and mood during the day.
Furthermore, you should also avoid unbeneficial activities.
Maintain consistency to ensure you don’t disrupt your cycle.
Stick to your diet and exercise routine.
Avoid food items that can alter your body mechanisms such as caffeine in your tea or coffee.
It doesn’t mean that you can’t have your regular cup of coffee in the morning.
But you don’t want to be drinking it a few hours before your nap either.
Try to also live a low maintenance life to avoid things such as stress, that will definitely throw you off the cycle.
The disadvantages Of Dymaxion Sleep Cycle
It is obvious that the Dymaxion sleep cycle also comes with its disadvantages.
The two common drawbacks to Dymaxion sleep Cycle include;
- Increased muscle fatigue
- Less REM sleep time which means minimal or no dreaming at all
Yes, the Dymaxion sleep cycle will have your mind ready to tackle your tasks.
However, this is not the same for your body.
Less rest and sleep time means more tension and strain on your system.
And over time, you may begin to notice pain and strain on areas such as your back, neck, and shoulders.
Especially if you work with a laptop.
You can, however, incorporate mitigation measures to counter this.
You can choose to work in non-compromising positions such as using a stand up desk or having frequent massages.
Getting one to two massages a week helps to significantly reduce the strain and helps you to sleep faster.
In terms of sleep, you will have to compromise REM sleep.
As you cut down your overall sleep time, your body secretes more adenosine. This is the chemical that makes you sleep. However, you will have more concentrated non-REM sleep rather than REM sleep. This means that you will be more alert and focused however, the lack of ample REM sleep may result in minimal memory based cognition.
Furthermore, the Dymaxion sleep cycle will also impact your physical appearance.
Remember this sleep cycle highly impacts your muscle strength.
So if you want to look like the Rock whilst you immerse in this cycle, forget it.
It is difficult to perform bodybuilding and weights carrying whilst you are on the Dymaxion sleep cycle.
This is because bodybuilding is an intense physical activity.
When you carry weights, you tear down your muscle tissues.
This means that you need extra hours of sleep and rest to repair them.
The hours that you do not have when you are following the Dymaxion sleep cycle.
The least that you can do when you are following the Dymaxion sleep cycle is minimally light and high intensity work out.
These types of exercises minimize fatigue and tissue breakage.
Bottom Line
This can’t be stressed enough before you embark on starting the Dymaxion cycle, seek more information about it.
Talk to experts and don’t limit your research to online reading. There’s still fairly minimal data and information on the issue thus, seeking scientific information will get you more understanding.
Don’t base an important part of your life on myths.
Figure out what works for you and if the sleep cycle is worth it.
REM sleep is important but not essential for survival.
So if you are willing to compromise on it for a greater purpose, then do it.
However, the concept of REM and non-REM sleep shouldn’t be confused.
It is your brain that controls sleep and not your body.
So even though, you will have minimal REM sleep, your body is not negatively impacted.
Furthermore, unlike what you have been made to believe, adopting a polyphasic sleep cycle doesn’t completely restrict REM sleep.
No matter your sleep duration, you will still enter the REM sleep stage.
The only difference is that the REM sleep stage will be shorter.
When you follow the regular 8-hour sleep cycle, you will go through at least 5 REM sleep cycles.
This number significantly decreases when you engage in polyphasic sleep cycles.
So whilst you still enjoy non-REM sleep to sharpen your mental focus and attention, you will have little durations of REM sleep.
Yet, this should be your focus.
The key focus should be a greater purpose.
Only follow the Dymaxion sleep cycle if you really do need to enhance productivity.
Don’t follow it to stay up and sneak in more episodes of your favorite show.
You will only be hurting and torturing your body.
