(https://www.polyphasicsociety.com/)
Uberman Sleep
The Uberman Sleep Schedule (coined by Puredoxyk, the rst Uberman sleeper) is a sleep
schedule consisting entirely of 20 minute naps, spaced equidistant throughout the day. In its
traditional form Uberman is 6 equidistant naps throughout each day.
There is nothing known about the long term health effects of being an Uberman, although
there have been people who sustained the schedule for as long as a year with no serious
health issues.
No one has EVER adapted to Uberman without the help of others, often in the form of a
human alarm system.
A 6 nap schedule (2h total sleep) will consist of a nap every 4h, it will have a 2h BRAC
(https://www.polyphasicsociety.com/polyphasic-sleep/science/brac/) and a 4h rhythm.
An 8 nap schedule (2h40min total sleep) will consist of a nap every 3h, it will have a 1.5h BRAC
(https://www.polyphasicsociety.com/polyphasic-sleep/science/brac/) and a 3h rhythm.
Exaptation (https://www.polyphasicsociety.com/polyphasic-sleep/adaptation/exaptation/)
The adaptation process for Uberman begins with 24-36h awake (or until one enters into a ‘second wind’, a rise in energy) at
which point you begin taking a nap for every BRAC (1.5-2h). You might continue with this exaptation for 2-4 days until you
are getting regular REM naps, or until you are no longer REM sleep deprived and unable to nap so frequently.
Adaptation (https://www.polyphasicsociety.com/polyphasic-sleep/adaptation/)
You may forgo the exaptation and simply go straight into the adaptation phase, as always. Nap every 3h or every 4h on the
dot – depending on which rhythm you feel comfortable with.
An expectation of Uberman is to go through a most infamous ‘zombie mode’ where normal cognitive function is severely
impaired (due to sleep deprivation). Starting with an exaptation may help alleviate these symptoms, and of course an 8 nap
schedule will be less harsh than a 6 nap schedule to adjust to.
Privacy - Terms
https://www.polyphasicsociety.com/polyphasic-sleep/overviews/uberman-2/ 1/16
9/10/2018 Uberman Sleep - Polyphasic Society
After this, one continues napping as your sleep cycles repartition (either on day 3, day 7, or day 10 – depends on the
individual and their initiating sleep deprivation). It takes 3 to 4 weeks to adapt to the Uberman Schedule. Some people may
adapt faster, but many have taken a whole month to start feeling adapted.
(https://www.polyphasicsociety.com/)
Whilst many people will claim that the adaptation period is nished after a month’s
practice, the body will continue to ‘adjust’ to this schedule for many months as continual entrainment improves habituation.
Note that usually people have habituated monophasic sleep for many, many years, and so whilst a month old Uberman
should feel fairly rested and alert for about 22h a day, old mono-sleep habits still exist and it may take a long while for those
to completely subside.
As habituation becomes stronger, an Uberman should gain some exibility and be able to shift naps by an increasing
amount of time without suffering from a rhythm disturbance. It becomes easier to recover from mistakes or events where
naps cannot be taken when they normally would, and even occasionally a longer sleep period will usually not ruin an
adapted Uberman’s schedule completely as it would have during adaptation.
Popularity
Uberman Schedule is the most popular and famous of poylphasic sleep schedules because of it’s 2h sleep total. It should
be noted that only about 5 percent of the population can get by just ne on six hours of sleep
(http://www.scienti camerican.com/article.cfm?id=genetic-mutation-sleep-less), so perhaps only 5% of people can do this
schedule comfortably. A much higher percentage of the population may nd an 8 nap schedule more sustainable, as the
extra ~40 minutes sleep can make the difference between SWS deprivation and health.
Because the body gets different types of sleep at different times of the day, non-equidistant timing may be possible, and
maybe even bene cial to the sustainability of the schedule. Such a schedule might be achieved by starting with an
equidistant 8 nap schedule and, once adapted to it, then cutting out a late afternoon nap. After adjusting to the 7 nap
schedule, once adapted to it, then cut out a late morning nap. All three (8, 7 and 6 nap schedules) should be easily
transitioned between because they have the same ultradian rhythm, and they have the same nap times. This model would
allow for ‘sleep ins’ (8 naps a day) and ‘work days’ (6 naps a day).
https://www.polyphasicsociety.com/polyphasic-sleep/overviews/uberman-2/ 2/16
9/10/2018 Uberman Sleep - Polyphasic Society
It could potentially be bene cial to take 40 minute naps at night. SWS generally takes longer than REM to transition into
because there is a difference in brain wave frequency. The body takes a while to slow down and so this is why traditional
Ubermen encounter the SWS crash so quickly, they simply don’t get enough SWS in a 20 minute nap because the rst 15-20
minutes is light sleep. Of course you can repartition SWS, there is no problem in that, but taking 40 minute naps at night
(https://www.polyphasicsociety.com/)
may avoid the need to repartition SWS so harshly, and maybe even increase the overall amount of potential SWS available
in the schedule (due to increasing the total sleep from 2h to 3h).
In some scenarios a persion adapting to the schedule will have an oversleep or ‘crash’ impending, and the best way to deal
with a crash is to purposely ‘oversleep’ before the crash comes.
In other scenarios a person has adapted, and repartitioned their sleep, but they are still sleep deprived from the initial sleep
deprivation stage. This is usually because they are getting enough REM and SWS to sustain their schedule, but no excess
sleep and therefore not enough to recover. If they are to refeed sleep and catch up from the initial deprivation required to
create enough sleep pressure to adapt, then they will regain homeostasis.
There are two notable ways to recover from sleep deprivation on a nap-only schedule, neither may be ideal, but they get the
job done. They should be implemented no more than every few days, and usually started around dusk, ten hours before the
crash. (assuming the crash is expected around 4am.)
First technique, a Core Refeed, is to have a 1.5h core sleep in place of a nap. It is that simple, have a core sleep between
dusk and midnight, then continue to nap as per your usual schedule, napping at your next allocated nap.
Second technique, a Nap Refeed, is to start to double your napping frequency, for example if a [4/8/12] schedule Uberman
may want to take extra naps at 6pm and 10pm.
https://www.polyphasicsociety.com/polyphasic-sleep/overviews/uberman-2/ 3/16
9/10/2018 Uberman Sleep - Polyphasic Society
These techniques basically increase the amount of SWS an Uberman can get (thus the sleep is around dusk) without
disrupting adaptation too much. The more often you do this, the longer it will take to adjust to the Uberman schedule, of
course it should be said doing a refeed is better than crashing as you are intelligibly managing your stress levels rather than
succumbing to them.
(https://www.polyphasicsociety.com/)
When in a sleep deprived state, there is a balance of sleep pressures called a pressure ratio. This is a ratio of REM pressure
vs SWS pressure, and as your body recovers sleep debt throughout our adaptation, the pressure ratio will change. A high
ratio means REM pressure is greater than SWS, and a low pressure means SWS pressure is greater than REM pressure.
REM pressure increases when glial fatigue causes regulation of a sleep-inducing neurotransmitter in the brain called
adenosine (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090128122814.htm) (caffeine blocks this receptor site
stopping that accumulation being detected). REM pressure increases with greater adenosine reception.
Adenosine breakdown is fast during REM (and can clear in 15 minutes) so this system explains why high frequency REM
sleep can be so much more refreshing than large blocks of REM as experienced by a monophasic sleeper.
The rst few days of adaptation both REM and SWS pressure will rise, but the REM:SWS pressure ratio will be high when
REM builds faster. As days pass and REM sleep rebounds in naps, the ratio will equalize and there may be a lulling point.
Very often however, a person’s REM rebound will be so powerful that the ratio drops low and soon afterward there is a SWS
rebound.
This means that you can often predict a SWS ‘oversleep’ by realising an oversleep is anticipated by a really really refreshing
REM nap. You might wake up from a random nap feeling like you had a big cup of coffee… beware, as there this is evidence
that the next two naps the body will try to get SWS at all costs!
Not everyone’s rhythm’s are perfect, even when entrained. If after the rst week or two you notice that one of your naps is
not giving you adequate rest, or you are simply not sleeping in one of your naps, you should experiment with that nap by
shifting it forward or backward 30-90 minutes to see if you sleep better having placed that nap differently. This will result in
https://www.polyphasicsociety.com/polyphasic-sleep/overviews/uberman-2/ 4/16
9/10/2018 Uberman Sleep - Polyphasic Society
an imbalance in the equidistant nature of the schedule, but being equidistant is not as important as listening to your own
body.
A note on exercise
(https://www.polyphasicsociety.com/)
While other schedules support exercise ne, few have been able to do proper exercise while on Uberman and still recover. It
seems recovery from cardiovascular exercise is good, but weightlifting and sports can suffer from the low amount of total
slow wave sleep. If you are set on weightlifting whilst Uberman, avoid traditional high volume bodybuilding routines, as the
stress can cause a sharp increase in SWS pressure causing you to black out later that night. Evidence shows you might
recover better from high frequency, low volume training whilst on a low sleep schedule.
While there is a general consensus that you will be getting less than the recommended sleep totals, it seems frequency
plays a role in the total sleep requirements. It may be that sleeping so often in lowers total sleep requirements but for the
moment there is no proof or mechanism explaining this.
A note on failure
Often people will try the Uberman sleep schedule only to fail and give up polyphasic sleep completely. There is no reason
you cannot move from being an Uberman to any other schedule that shares your Uberman rhythm! Many people have rst
started on Uberman only to transfer to Everyman (https://www.polyphasicsociety.com/polyphasic-
sleep/overviews/everyman/) and be incredibly successful with their new schedule. In fact it is recommended that people
aiming for an Everyman schedule give Uberman a go before commencing, as Uberman has such a regulating effect on
sleep, the entrainment is very bene cial for those wanting to do a milder schedule in the long term.
Learn More:
(http://go.musthweb.ca/atg/go.php?c=psccontent)Quite a few successful historical gures
were purportedly Polyphasic sleepers. Such luminaries as Thomas Edison, Benjamin Franklin,
Nikola Tesla, Napoleon, Winston Churchill, Thomas Jefferson and Leonardo DaVinci
reportedly followed the fragmented schedule. Their achievements perpetuate the notion that
there is a link between genius and e cient sleep. Why not give Polyphasic sleep a try, with
our easy to implement Polyphasic Sleep Mastery (http://go.musthweb.ca/atg/go.php?
c=psccontent) guide?
39 Comments
https://www.polyphasicsociety.com/polyphasic-sleep/overviews/uberman-2/ 5/16
9/10/2018 Uberman Sleep - Polyphasic Society
vlor • July 29, 2012
(https://www.polyphasicsociety.com/)
Even though this is an overview I’d thought I’d point out that Naptation isn’t every 2 or 3 hours, it is precisely 2 hours and 40
minutes, last time I spoke with Forevernade.
Reply
Reply
https://www.polyphasicsociety.com/polyphasic-sleep/overviews/uberman-2/ 6/16
9/10/2018 Uberman Sleep - Polyphasic Society
Pingback: Alternative Sleep Cycles: 7-10 Hours Are Not Needed | Collective-Evolution (http://www.collective-
evolution.com/2013/07/13/alternative-sleep-cycles-7-10-hours-is-not-needed/)
Pingback: Polyphasic sleep: Declaration of success. Also, Day Four. » Caveat Lector
(https://davidhaywoodyoung.com/2014/07/03/polyphasic-sleep-declaration-of-success-also-day-four/)
https://www.polyphasicsociety.com/polyphasic-sleep/overviews/uberman-2/ 7/16
9/10/2018 Uberman Sleep - Polyphasic Society
Reply
Reply
https://www.polyphasicsociety.com/polyphasic-sleep/overviews/uberman-2/ 8/16
9/10/2018 Uberman Sleep - Polyphasic Society
Mateo • January 16, 2017
(https://www.polyphasicsociety.com/)
the issue is: where to sleep. At work there is no place do to it, at college neither. In vocations if i go travel it is di cult to nd
a place to sleep while you are visiting famous places. You could not get far away from the hotel.
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
https://www.polyphasicsociety.com/polyphasic-sleep/overviews/uberman-2/ 9/16
9/10/2018 Uberman Sleep - Polyphasic Society
Rola no Cú Assado • April 16, 2017
(https://www.polyphasicsociety.com/)
Many people says that these kind of things such as polyphasic sleep is suicide. I prefer to live less like a king than to live
more as a serve.
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
https://www.polyphasicsociety.com/polyphasic-sleep/overviews/uberman-2/ 10/16
9/10/2018 Uberman Sleep - Polyphasic Society
I heard it would helpful to sleep 30 mins, wake up for30 mins – repeated durring normal night hours for the rst day.
Next day, 30 min sleeps, 1 hrs awake, repeated,
so
And keep adding a little more time between naps till you reach 4 hrs segments. It’s much easier to succeed this way. ( or
I’ve heard )
(https://www.polyphasicsociety.com/)
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
Leave a Comment
Your email address will not be published. Required elds are marked *
https://www.polyphasicsociety.com/polyphasic-sleep/overviews/uberman-2/ 11/16
9/10/2018 Uberman Sleep - Polyphasic Society
Your Comment
(https://www.polyphasicsociety.com/)
Name
Website
Post Comment
(https://www.polyphasicsociety.com/pscsidebar)
POLYPHASIC SLEEP MASTERY
https://www.polyphasicsociety.com/polyphasic-sleep/overviews/uberman-2/ 12/16
9/10/2018 Uberman Sleep - Polyphasic Society
(https://www.polyphasicsociety.com/)
Get Your Copy (https://www.polyphasicsociety.com/pscsidebar)
https://www.polyphasicsociety.com/polyphasic-sleep/overviews/uberman-2/ 13/16
9/10/2018 Uberman Sleep - Polyphasic Society
(https://www.polyphasicsociety.com/)
Last Name
Submit
Like Us On Facebook
Polyphasic Soci…
Like Page
https://www.polyphasicsociety.com/polyphasic-sleep/overviews/uberman-2/ 14/16
9/10/2018 Uberman Sleep - Polyphasic Society
Follow
(https://www.polyphasicsociety.com/)
Subscribe to noti cations
WHO WE ARE
We are a collective of dreamers, thinkers, and sleep-cheaters chasing the day (and night.) We arrive from different
paths: battling sleep disorders, eager entrepreneurs, or restless night owls. But we're all here for the same reason: to
nd out more about ourselves and how to use sleep to our advantage. If you are looking to collaborate, or have ideas
for articles, please check our contact page.
POPULAR POSTS
https://www.polyphasicsociety.com/polyphasic-sleep/overviews/uberman-2/ 15/16
9/10/2018 Uberman Sleep - Polyphasic Society
Beddit Classic
Sleep Monitor,...
Shop now
Sense Sleep
System -...
$129.99
Shop now
https://www.polyphasicsociety.com/polyphasic-sleep/overviews/uberman-2/ 16/16