NIght Two, part 1

It is midnight, and I am able to concentrate enough to work on the computer and begin compiling a list of things to do. I could probably fall asleep at any moment, but am interested in what I'm doing enough to prefer staying awake.

I am finding that having more hours in the day also allows for more opportunities to be distracted in the day, but I won't dwell on that.

The 9pm nap was OK. I was reluctant to quit working online when it came up, but also looked forward to it. I was certainly not desperate for it, and even wondered if I would be able to fall asleep. Of course, I did. I was woken up a couple of times by noise (apparently, it is Friday night out there in the monophasic world), and am sort of marveling at how long 20 minutes can be. I was rested at the end of the nap, but it was also 9:30 at night, and so being awake is still different than during the day. There has been enough activity in the house this evening to distract me from my work, but I am finding myself able to accomplish it in between the commotions.

I have an hour to go before the core sleep. I was planning on heading out to Walgreen's or something. Actually, I found out that a nearby Home Depot stays open until midnight. However, since I am able to stay up and concentrate, I decided to do that instead.

Is this real? Can it be possible to gain all these extra hours every day? It seems like a dream come true.

Day One Afternoon

I didn't feel that I needed a nap at 2pm, but I took it anyway. I fell asleep quickly, and woke up thinking my alarm hadn't gone off. It felt like I'd been asleep for about 45 minutes. I checked my clock--only 15 minutes had gone by. I didn't feel the need to go back to sleep, and ended up laying still for another several minutes, looking out the window and enjoying feeling rested.

Several years ago, I had hurt my back so badly that I was unable to sleep for more than a couple of hours at a time for about four weeks. When I finally was well enough to sleep through the night, I remember the physical and emotional relief I felt, as if an insidious burden was finally lifted from me. The way I felt when I woke up from my nap this afternoon reminded me of that. Wherever the outcome of this 'experimental sleep pattern' lead is unknown, but I am realizing that the sleep pattern I had before, called monophasic, or normal, or whatever, was not working for me.

But perhaps I'm simply being delusional. Always a possibility.

So I'm cruising through the end of my workday, my body is still tired and aching from yesterday's workout. I am a little tired, but also quite relaxed. I feel focused. There are some troubleshooting tasks that I am not interested in taking on this afternoon, though that may be psychological in nature. I just was not planning on expecting much out of myself today. But I have put in a decent, focused day of work, and I am planning on doing some more tomorrow, despite it being the weekend (though that is normal for me).

Day One Morning

I feel great. My nap was surprisingly restful, and I feel awake, which I thought was a feeling that was going to elude me for several days. It's possible that I'll go through several dips in energy level, but right now I am alert, relaxed, and on task. I actually have more energy than on many days when I got much more sleep. And I've been a little hungrier, as well.

And my muscle soreness from yesterday's workout is developing steadily this morning. I first noticed it after I sat down at my desk for a couple of hours after my bike commute to work. And now every time I get up it is more noticeable. It was an act of will to stand up straight when walking down the hall. That is an interesting mystery in itself.

...begins with a single step

I guess this is Day One. Last night was really Day One. Or Night One.

I'm at work, looking forward to a 9am nap. Last night I went for a walk around 10pm, but was too tired to do something like reading, so I went to Safeway and got some groceries. That was around midnight. I was ready to fall asleep at 1am, it felt so luxurious. Waking up at 4am was not all that difficult, it was staying awake that was hard. I think I really woke up at 4:20, and then jumped back under the covers because I was cold. We made ourselves go out for a walk, which was helpful, but only if you don't mind walking around in a trance. I felt a little zombie-like, but managed to convince myself it was temporary. I managed to stay awake and make way too much noise (laundry, light cleaning) for my roommates to appreciate.

I decided to ride my bike to work early, because I could do more there, but was dreading actually exercising. Once on the bike, though, I woke up and felt relaxed and refreshed, despite my quads already being sore from working out yesterday. I think the whole Sunrise thing cannot be overstated. Once at work, although I feel I could fall asleep at any minute, I have been able to concentrate and get some work done on the computer. I have made a list of tasks for my day, and am hoping to get to them earlier in the day, as I don't expect to be able to concentrate very well.

A journey of a thousand miles...

We have decided on a core sleep block of 3 hours (1-4am) and three 20 minute naps, commonly known as the Everyman schedule. It's a little intimidating to think about, but when I considered how I am constantly wishing for more hours in the day, am often sleep deprived, and usually try to catch up with sleep by napping throughout the day, this may be easier than my normal BP (Before Phasic) lifestyle.

At any rate, other than having a tough time at 4am this morning, I don't expect the 1st 24 hours to be any more agonizing than I am accustomed to. Except I have something to look forward to: acclimatizing.

We are pretty excited to begin.