Delve into the science and potential drawbacks of polyphasic sleep. This alternative sleep pattern may have an impact on your health and well-being.
Now this is a topic that many may not be familiar with; polyphasic sleep. What is it? Well, polyphasic sleep is a sleeping pattern where a person will sleep multiple times a day, rather than the typical one at night.
The periods tend to last around 3-4 hours or sometimes even 20-30 minutes. A person engaging in this sleep pattern would also take multiple naps a day.
Why might a person pick up polyphasic sleep?
The idea behind polyphasic sleep is that you will be more productive, being awake rather than the typical 6-8 hours needed for sleep.
Now this logic can be somewhat understood considering the many Americans who report feeling unproductive. This feeling can be linked back to many things, not simply sleep. What is important to note though is the sought-after productive feeling. Not to mention, millions of Americans already struggle to sleep, and because of this, a person may consider a different sleep pattern to be more effective. It is normal to feel both of these ways. Though it is normal, one important thing to keep in mind; sleep is essential for health.
Why is the traditional night’s sleep important?
The typical full night’s rest we each have every night is set so for a reason; multiple reasons. Firstly, the number of hours of sleep we need each night isn’t chosen randomly. The recommended 8 hours of sleep a night is meant to help the body restore, relax, and prepare for the next day.
During sleep the body:
- Restores and repairs: Since the body is at rest, all needed processes can be made without distraction. This includes replenishing energy and repairing damaged tissues.
- Regulates your immune system: Cytokines are created when sleeping, these proteins help to protect the body from infections and disease.
- Consolidating memories: When you sleep at night, the brain will process what happened during the day, helping to create memories.
- Regulates hormones: The body releases hormones during sleep which can help in different areas. For example, growth hormones help the body to grow and develop.
- Improves your brain’s functions: Sleep allows the brain to improve so you can thrive in all necessary areas; these can include learning, being creative, problem-solving, and more. Not to mention the brain also helps to clear out waste products and toxins during sleep.
The importance of sleep is the entire reason Relaxium was founded. Our Clinical Neurologist and sleep expert, Dr. Eric Ciliberti realized that those struggling to sleep would need an affordable and effective sleep aid. This is where our product, Relaxium Sleep comes into play. Relaxium Sleep is a supplement designed to help the body fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer, and have you feeling refreshed and alert when waking up.
Implementing this into your sleep schedule could show great improvement in areas of sleep and relaxation.
Negative drawbacks of polyphasic sleep
There are a couple of reasons why polyphasic sleep can be rather detrimental to health and well-being. This is due to the risk of:
- Sleep deprivation
- Disruption of the circadian rhythm
- Social and Lifestyle Limitations
- Lack of scientific research
Sleep deprivation
Sleep deprivation is when a person doesn’t get enough sleep each night which can result in physical and mental drainage.
Negative results of sleep deprivation include:
- Mood changes: Irritability, anxiousness, and even depression can be caused by sleep deprivation, affecting quality of life.
- Increased risk of chronic health problems: In such cases as chronic sleep deprivation, health problems can increase such as higher risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and even obesity.
- Cognitive impairment: Lack of sleep can affect all areas of cognitive function such as memory, concentration, and decision-making.
- Suppressed immune function: The immune system is much weaker without sleep, making its ability to fight infections and diseases much harder.
- Increased risk of accidents: It can be difficult to make decisions such as reaction times when sleep deprived, this can increase risks of accidents when driving.
Disruption to the circadian rhythm
If you have never heard of circadian rhythm, it is the 24-hour internal clock we all have that triggers our sleep-wake cycle.
The circadian rhythm is controlled by a group of cells in the hypothalamus of the brain called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), which acts as the body’s “master clock”. The SCN receives information about the light-dark cycle from the eyes and uses this information to synchronize the body’s internal clock with the external environment.
Disruption to this cycle can lead to more sleep problems, mood changes, and other health problems.
Social and Lifestyle Limitations
Since a person engaging in polyphasic sleep is awake for much of the day, the times naps or sleep is had is when others are awake. This especially at night when everyone else is asleep.
Given the reasoning of wanting to be more productive, this is limited with a sleep schedule like this. Not every gym will be open, your boss is probably asleep when you are sending that email, and in general most service workers/people who sleep the full 8 hours at night are not going to be awake to help you with anything you may need.
Realistically this drawback is one of the most difficult to deal with as most people do not follow this kind of lifestyle.
Lack of scientific research
Being that we need sleep for health, and most, if not all science supports this, there is not nearly enough research to support polyphasic sleep. This does pose some red flags because there are so many resources that would contradict the research conducted on polyphasic sleep.
In any situation we would advise you to do some deep research if you want to change your sleep schedule.
Remember sleep is one of the most important things humans need
We understand it can feel so great when you’ve had a productive day, but this shouldn’t compromise the sleep we need.
We would advise you to stick with the typical 8 hours of sleep at night.
Relaxium offers a number of safe and effective supplements that aid in the categories of sleep, calm, focus, and immunity. Created by Clinical Neurologist and Sleep Expert, Dr. Eric Ciliberti, TryRelaxium.com offers a 30-day Money Back Guarantee trial of Relaxium Sleep to allow our users to truly experience its effects. To try the product today visit our website for more information.
To restful and healthy days ahead.
The Relaxium Team
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Sources:
https://www.npr.org/2022/10/07/1126967875/quiet-quitting-productivity-workers-ennui-working-jobs