Polyphasic sleep

Polyphasic sleep is the practice of sleeping during multiple periods over the course of 24 hours, in contrast to monophasic sleep, which is one period of sleep within 24 hours. Biphasic (or diphasic, bifurcated, or bimodal) sleep refers to two periods, while polyphasic usually means more than two.[1] Segmented sleep and divided sleep may refer to polyphasic or biphasic sleep, but may also refer to interrupted sleep, where the sleep has one or several shorter periods of wakefulness, as was the norm for night sleep in pre-industrial societies.

A common form of biphasic or polyphasic sleep includes a nap, which is a short period of sleep, typically taken between the hours of 9 am and 9 pm as an adjunct to the usual nocturnal sleep period. Napping behaviour during daytime hours is the simplest form of polyphasic sleep, especially when the naps are taken on a daily basis.

The term polyphasic sleep was first used in the early 20th century by psychologist J. S. Szymanski, who observed daily fluctuations in activity patterns.[2] It does not imply any particular sleep schedule. The circadian rhythm disorder known as irregular sleep-wake syndrome is an example of polyphasic sleep in humans. Polyphasic sleep is common in many animals, and is believed to be the ancestral sleep state for mammals, although simians are monophasic.[3]

The term polyphasic sleep is also used by an online community that experiments with alternative sleeping schedules in an attempt to increase productivity. There is no scientific evidence that this practice is effective or beneficial.[4][5]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Il99F was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Stampi 1992
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference 8FDZB was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "People Are Sleeping in 20-Minute Bursts To Boost Productivity". Time. 30 January 2018. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  5. ^ Weaver, Matthew D.; Sletten, Tracey L.; Foster, Russell G.; Gozal, David; Klerman, Elizabeth B.; Rajaratnam, Shantha M. W.; Roenneberg, Till; Takahashi, Joseph S.; Turek, Fred W.; Vitiello, Michael V.; Young, Michael W.; Czeisler, Charles A. (June 2021). "Adverse impact of polyphasic sleep patterns in humans: Report of the National Sleep Foundation sleep timing and variability consensus panel". Sleep Health. 7 (3): 293–302. doi:10.1016/j.sleh.2021.02.009. ISSN 2352-7226. PMID 33795195.