Sleeper

So, it took me about 5 days or so to hit any serious sleep deprivation during my second attempt. I actually really enjoy the feeling of sleep deprivation and zombie-mode, however impractical it might be. The problem was this sleep deprivation hit the day before a test and an essay was due (today). So, I made the decision to get some sleep and I have no regrets about this decision, I probably would have never successfully written my essay had I not, or it would have been completely incomprehensible to anybody that doesn’t have a diet that consists entirely of brains.

Anyway, today I am going to go right back into adaptation, but this time I’m going to try to force myself into sleep deprivation quicker. I’ve got a lot of programming to do for thursday night and staring at Java for long enough will be certain to do the trick. I’m also going to temporarily ditch the paleo diet for some carb-loading to get this sleep deprivation up and running. I think the paleo diet might be better to implement after, and I’m no longer looking for any “easy ways out,” I’m just gonna hit this thing head on, with full force.

Wish me luck, but I don’t think I’ll be needing it.

Roughly Day 3 here on my 2nd uberman adaptation attempt. Overslept my 12:15-12:35 nap by a couple hours, I think the blankets I used really did me in. No big deal though, I’ve actually changed my philosophy on sleep adaptation.

Basically, my new philosophy goes like this: adapt as fast as possible, and always be working towards adaptation. It takes away the discrete notion of adapted/unadapted, and puts the idea on more of a continuum. This is going directly against Pure Doxyk’s recommendation to wait several months before attempting consecutive adaptations, yet it still recognizes the need to adapt as quickly as possible rather than drawing out a painful adaptation. Also, there is no giving up anymore. I will adapt no matter how long it takes, and I’m always going to be working towards adaptation until I really feel like uberman is my new averageman.

So, back to the boring/diary details of my adaptation. I haven’t really experienced sleep deprivation at all yet, which is strange. I think my uberman adaptation from about a week ago carried over a bit, although I think sleep deprivation at some point is going to be necessary so that my body can adhere to a more strict schedule. That’s the other thing, I haven’t been able to fall asleep very quickly. I had been giving myself more time to fall asleep because of this but I think that was a mistake now. I think that’s just teaching my body that it doesn’t need to fall asleep instantly which isn’t what I want. I’m gonna go back to giving myself about 1-2 minutes to fall asleep like I used to and see how that works out. I suppose simply trying to sleep for 20 minutes isn’t so bad since it will eventually just lead to sleep deprivation which will allow me to sleep on command again.

My biggest struggle right now is making sure I get up. My late-night naps are no problem anymore since I spend them in the library and waking up there is no problem, but I seem to be getting used to the alarms I have setup next to my sleeping area. Also, blankets are a killer for me. My roommate takes absolute control over the temperature in the room and its behind his bed so I basically am left to the temperature of his choosing. I normally just sleep pretty bundled up in clothes but after taking a shower I never really want to destroy my refreshed clean feeling by putting on a bunch of heavy clothes. I’d buy some under-armour like clothes for dealing with the cold but I’m on a pretty tight budget and that stuff is expensive.

Anyway, these are just the present things that tend to be slowing down my adaptation, I don’t really see any of them as complete obstacles that need to be overcome before I can adapt.

Let our adaptations be of the hasty variety!
~DRayB

Überman Nap Schedule (slightly irregular due to 12:45-17:00 being filled with classes on my schedule):
00:50
4:40
8:30
12:15
17:10
21:00

So, first night was pretty easy obviously. Library is back up and running and I’m back to spending more time there than the librarians. I actually decided to start practicing for when things get tougher. After my 12:15 nap in the library I drifted right on the fringe of falling back asleep for about two hours as a sort of mental preparation for when I need to stay conscious during the tougher times. I believe it was successful and I didn’t lose my stream of consciousness at all. Reading The Sorrows of Young Werther without falling asleep was another challenge I put myself up to while passing the time on the easy first night of adaptation.

I like to chant in my head before I go to sleep, very slowly, something along the lines of becoming a successful überman. This helps me get to sleep quicker and also doesn’t hurt the ol’ willpower.

I also am adopting the paleolithic diet. I normally am putting tons of carbs in my system but this seems to be the diet to stop that since apparently carbs are no good for staying awake. But, does anyone know a good source of non-dairy, non supplemental vitamin D on the paleolithic diet? I’m sure I’ll have no problem getting enough from the sun once spring arrives, but what about in the meantime?