The ultimate guide to getting your best night’s rest! We understand that life can be hectic and sometimes getting a full 8 hours of sleep feels impossible. But fear not, because we’re here to show you the secret to sleeping 8 hours in just 4 hours.
But how is it possible? You may be wondering. Well, we’ve done our research and compiled the most effective techniques and tips for maximizing your sleep quality in a shorter amount of time. So get ready to wake up feeling refreshed and energized, even with just a few hours of shut-eye.
On this page, we’ll dive deep into the science behind sleep cycles and the importance of REM sleep. We’ll also provide you with practical strategies to optimize your sleep environment and establish a bedtime routine that promotes deep, restorative slumber.
But before we get started, take a moment to explore some of our other sleep-related articles. Need tips for managing curly hair while you sleep? Check out our guide on how to sleep with curly hair. And if you’re tired of waking up with a wet pillow, we’ve got you covered with our article on how to stop drooling in your sleep.
How to Sleep 8 Hours in 4 Hours?
Sleep is not something we just happen to do every day. It’s an extremely important factor in brain function and overall health. It’s one of the most crucial parts of our lives because without quality sleep, our bodies can’t work well, both physically and emotionally. A night of quality sleep is one of the most important factors in having a successful and productive day when we wake up. The emphasis here is on quality, because 8 hours of restless sleep can sometimes be worse than 4 hours of deep restorative sleep. Although we do not condone getting less than at least 6 hours of sleep per night, here are some tips on getting 4 hours of high-quality sleep on rare occasions where you may not be able to get any more.
The Polyphasic Sleep Method
Is it even possible to sleep 4 hours per night and still feel rested? It may be possible to achieve that with polyphasic sleep.
Polyphasic sleep is the notion of breaking up your sleep into smaller chunks to optimize your performance during waking hours. As opposed to monophasic sleep where a person sleeps through the night in a single block of time, polyphasic sleep (poly = “many” in ancient Greek) consists of several blocks within 24 hours. Although sleeping several times a day sounds unusual to most Americans, many cultures have historically engaged in biphasic (two-stage) by sleeping at night and having a short nap in the afternoon, for example, the Spanish siesta.
There is no way that this type of sleeping pattern can be good for you, right? Well, that’s actually wrong – studies have shown that polyphasic sleep, with several short naps throughout the day, is the best type of sleep for academic success. Studies conducted on the Omani population, known for their multiphased sleeping patterns, did not show decreased sleep quality in polyphasic sleepers when compared to other kinds of sleepers.
Types of Polyphasic Sleep
There are many kinds of polyphasic sleep patterns. The most intense one is the Uberman method. It consists of six 20-minute naps throughout the day, totaling two full hours of sleep per day. The famous inventor, Nikola Tesla, considered the biggest genius of the 20th century, followed the Uberman polyphasic sleep pattern and never slept for longer than 2 hours a day.
A less intense form is called the Everyman method. It consists of a single “core” sleep lasting between 3.5 hours, and three 20-minute naps for a total of several hours a day.
Check out the video below to get extra info on creating the best polyphasic sleep pattern to suit your needs:
So, what exactly are the benefits of polyphasic sleep? Is it healthy to deprive yourself of 8 hours of sleep per night? Here is a list of science-backed advantages of a non-monophasic sleep pattern.
1. Uninterrupted Sleep Time
Can you remember the last time you had a five-hour block of fully focused time, uninterrupted by anything else? Imagine the possibilities if you had that daily.
Nobody else is waking up at 3 am. Which means nobody is emailing, calling, or texting at 3 am.
You can use this daily uninterrupted time to finally start working on your goals, like taking coding seriously, learning Spanish, studying for exams, reading your favorite books, and everything else you’ve always dreamed about.
When you’re spending time on your own with no distractions, the possibilities to let your thoughts wander are naturally removed, which makes your mornings ultra-productive.
2. Better Sleep
Not more, but better.
If you’re not used to polyphasic sleep or napping during the day, the first couple of days will be hard.
However, this problem does not persist for long, since missing one nap feels just like losing an entire night of sleep. This means that you’ll gradually teach your body to fall asleep quicker and stay in deep restorative sleep during the core sleep period.
3. More Time to do What You Need
Polyphasic sleep gives you more energy and uninterrupted time to do your favorite things. If you have many interests like reading, staying on top of events in politics and technology, playing video games, composing and listening to music, outdoor recreation, and learning new skills, to name a few – polyphasic sleep may be the right thing for you.
What Can You Expect With Polyphasic Sleep?
The first day: You might sleep four hours through the day, and end up feeling fine. At times, you might choose to nap throughout the day but not too much if you’re not used to day sleeping.
The second day: The following day, you can expect to sleep soundly, but you may come across some redness in your eyes.
The third day: You may feel dizzy throughout the day. Some people report mood swings.
The fourth day: This is when things start to improve. You eventually begin finding it difficult to skip your 20-minute naps and your core sleep is much deeper.
Conclusion
Getting 8 hours of sleep in 4 hours is possible, however maybe not in a time-traveling sense. All you need is to master the technique of polyphasic sleep so you can get deep rest in just 4 hours. It’s entirely possible and, with practice, can be accomplished effectively.
An important takeaway here is decreasing your stimulants before sleeping. Cutting your technology, alcohol, and coffee until you want to have a quick nap or deep sleep.
Would you like to find out even more useful info about sleep in order to dramatically improve your sleeping pattern? Check out our tips on how to sleep less, find out if 5 hours of sleep is enough, and if you tend to sleep a lot, get to the bottom of why you need so much sleep.
