Ubersleep

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If you miss that golden opportunity, though, and actually start to exhibit narcolepsy -- you awake
with a start, in the middle of doing something, and it's only been a few seconds or minutes (you're having
what polyphasers call "microsleeps") -- then things get more difficult. But this will happen to you at least
once; it does to almost everybody. Fending off narcolepsy once it's already happening is no fun, but don't
give up! It doesn't last very long, and if you get through it you'll feel better in no time. (Remind yourself
that this is it, this is the important part of the whole process, the point you've been waiting for!)
The following tips should wake you up enough that you can go back to the previous list. For all of
them, it's important that you follow up with something that'll keep you awake, like a meal or conversation.
If you do any of these things and then go sit on the couch, you'll be back to square one!
(Or as my friend used to tell me, "Get up! We're going to be awake 22 hours a day -- you'll have time to
relax later!" ...And she was right; once we adapted I could relax plenty.)
Combating Narcolepsy Once It's Set In:
�% Stomp! Stomp, stomp, stomp. Lift your legs high and stomp--the jarring feeling of your feet
landing hard will help, as will the balance challenge. If you know any martial-arts forms (kata),
you're lucky, because practicing them is also an excellent way to back away from the edge of
narcolepsy.
�% Similarly, hit something: punching bags are awesome, or substitute whatever you've got that's safe.
�% Stand near a sink or bowl of ice-cold water and splash yourself in the face, arms and neck with it
repeatedly.
�% Step into a really cold shower. (In your clothes, if you have to. Dealing with the mess and changing
clothes when it's over will help keep you awake, too.)
�% Go for a run or brisk walk, especially outside if it's cool out.
�% Do jumping-jacks or another quick aerobic exercise. Keep going until you're out of breath, but
don't push it too far, or you'll make yourself even more tired.
�% Put yourself in as (physically) uncomfortable a situation as you can: if you can't sleep with lights
on, turn them all on bright; if you don't like noise, turn everything up or put on loud headphones ...
when you feel a little more awake, go back to the previous list and find something sleep-unfriendly
to do that's a little more comfortable.
�% Do some advanced breathing exercises, if you know any. (Simple ones are usually relaxation-
oriented and not a good idea! But if you're familiar with any energizing breathing exercises -- Zen
and Taiji both have some that I know of -- you may want to practice them until your head clears.)
Beware of sitting or lying down, however -- do standing exercises whenever possible.
43 That means that different things work better for different people: Some people can snoz out while eating; others' brains could care less about being in the
middle of a manicure. Fear is one of very few things that seems to work universally.
34 Ubersleep
Another challenge will present itself after you get through a bad sleep-dep spell, and/or fight off a
bout of narcolepsy: The effort will wear you out! It's not uncommon to feel weary, drained, and generally
crappy after having successfully navigated a period of sleep-dep symptoms. Going to bed just sounds
good on principle, even if you're not tired anymore. And of course, then eventually you do go to bed...and
have to wake up 20 minutes later! (Note: Buy at least one extra alarm clock to compensate for the fact
that you'll almost certainly break one at some point, out of sheer rage / hatred. For similar reasons, if you
have a really nice alarm clock, maybe put it away until the first week has passed.) But all these things pass
quickly, and if you keep your eye on the ball, the hard part will be over with before you know it.
Here is a short list of the things I personally found most useful in managing the sleep deprivation
through my own adaptation-periods.
PD's Best Ways to Fend Off Sleepiness
�) Shadow-boxing �) Dancing �) Singing �) Brisk Walking
�) Reading aloud from favorite books / poetry �) Talking on the phone
�) Sculpting, Painting, or other "messy" art projects �) Organizing drawers & closets
�) Making smoothies or homemade juice �) Scrubbing not-often-cleaned places
�) Going to the store (whatever's open) �) Making lists (of anything)
Also, don't forget that for these ideas to be effective, you have to think of them at the right time --
which just so happens to be a time when your brain is functioning about as well as boiled cheese. I highly
suggest WRITING DOWN a list of things to do when you're zonked, and putting it in places where
you'll see it at the critical time. You can use the Tiredness Cheat-Sheet at the end of this book as a
template, and add your own ideas as you think of them. (There are also a few more "extreme" and
"weird" ideas on that cheat-sheet, just in case you really get stuck.)
Ack, I Can't Sleep!
Especially if you were suffering from insomnia before you chose to start a polyphasic schedule, you may
notice that you can't sleep for your naps at the beginning. Almost everyone finds they can't nap during
the daytime naps on the first, and sometimes the second, day, but for insominacs (and sometimes for
non-insomniacs too), it can be several days before you get a good restful nap. This isn't a bad thing; it's
just another path to adjustment that the brain/body sometimes takes. You won't be any more tired than
someone who's getting 20 minutes of sleep and then waking up, trust me. As long as you start to sleep
during your naps within a couple days, and are feeling somewhat better by the end of week one, you
should be fine. I've never heard of anyone who started a polyphasic schedule and found that they
couldn't sleep at all because of it. (And I had pretty severe insomnia when I started Uberman, remember.)
Success! Adjusting to your New Schedule
By the time you get through the first 5-7 days, you should be feeling dramatically better; sleep-dep
symptoms should only be happening once or twice a day for short periods of time, and if you keep it up
without mistakes, by Day 10 (or earlier) you should feel no deprivation symptoms at all. The process of [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]