By which I mean, I am experiencing bi-phasic sleep. I sleep for four hours, wake up, do stuff for 2-3 hours and go back to sleep again for another four hours. So far doesn't seem to be a problem.

Apparently this was the NORM before electric light - people would go to bed when it was dark, wake up, potter about doing stuff for a couple of hours (guided by candle-light I assume) and then go back to sleep until dawn.

Who's to say this isn't a better sleep pattern - we did it for hundreds/thousands of years?

yes, i also read that people used to sleep like that.

 

when i got laid off from work, i couldn't sleep all night. thought about taking sleeping pills, but then it occurred to me if you're not exhausting yourself during the day, the body doesn't need to sleep all night. and if you don't need to work, you can catch up on any missed sleep during the day with naps.

 

one concern is REM, which I believe is the most important phase of sleep. insufficient REM sleep can lead to health problems? not sure.

but maybe biphasic sleep doesn't cause loss of REM. 

 

 

I'm a bit of expert on sleep as I do so much of it - REM dream sleep occurs after an hour light sleep followed by deep sleep than you get the dreams - it's a three-four hour cycle

matthew walker is a sleep researcher.

he's not a fan.

he recommends 6 1/2 hours at night + siesta after lunch

 

 

31 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

he recommends 6 1/2 hours at night + siesta after lunch

 

Each to his own - whatever works for you. I do that some days.

I wish you all a good nights sleep.

1 hour ago, nglodnig said:

Each to his own - whatever works for you. I do that some days.

doesnt mean he's right or it's best for everyone.

i may experiment further at some point to see what works best. 

 

Having to sleep is annoying.

If you live, say, 75 years, that's approximately 25 years asleep. In the eye blink we have here we lose 25 years off the bat.

I sometimes sleep in a similar pattern to the OP, maybe once or twice a week.

I take a Codiphen every Saturday night for 8-10 hours of sleep. That seems to eliminate any sleep deficit.

Some people can get to sleep with the aid of alcohol, all it does for me is keep me awake.