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I'm curious about possible health consequences of polyphasic sleep patterns, which involves sleeping multiple times in a 24-hour period — usually more than two, in contrast to getting all sleep in one block (monophasic). I'm interested in cases of more than just an afternoon nap.

Are there any studies that suggest possible risks or benefits to health regarding polyphasic sleep?

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    DaveL, Please edit your question to include a small summary of polyphasic sleep patterns; this would make it a much better question. Thanks.
    – anongoodnurse
    Apr 25, 2015 at 4:59
  • I don't think it's particularly viable, for non-health reasons. You're alone all night, have your tasks routinely interrupted, and will have trouble fitting in society in general
    – Alexander
    Jan 24, 2018 at 4:06
  • I slept from, say, 10pm to 3am, then 6am to 8am for a couple of years. I didn't notice any consequences but do wonder if I was affected and just didn't notice. Great question.
    – Agustín Lado
    Oct 1, 2018 at 19:43

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Steve Pavlina did an experiment on himself for testing the Polyphasic Sleep. On his blog there is a lot of information about the experiment. http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/10/polyphasic-sleep/

However, what is written on his blog is not scientific proof, but from his own perspective.

As he wrote on his blog:

This is a treasure trove of free information for anyone interested in learning about my trial of polyphasic sleep. To my knowledge these are the most detailed polyphasic sleep logs you’ll be able to find anywhere on the web.

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    Welcome to health stackexchange :-). The blog you cited offers an interesting perspective, but since it isn't peer reviewed, I don't think it can be considered a reliable resource. For a general idea what resources might be considered as reliable, please see this meta question. For other information, browse through other meta questions and the help centre. You can always edit your post to add other resources and information. Thanks!
    – Lucky
    Sep 11, 2015 at 17:53
  • I like the source, and I believe it's the best given lack of scientific studies. The log answers the question well, but the posted answer given does not. @xcosmi, you need to explain what the log says about polyphasic sleep, not just point to the link. If you could provide a detailed summary of what Steve wrote in his logs along with his "long-term consequences" caution, I'd accept this as an answer.
    – Dave Liu
    Jan 31, 2016 at 21:54

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