We’ve now waved firmly goodbye to summer, and as the colder months slowly rise out of the ashes, we might find ourselves prioritizing rest over the party girl mentality. It’s no secret that the main secret to feeling both relaxed and energized is good sleep – but now, TikTok creators are hyping up ways to maximise their sleep. The original #sleep hashtag has now accumulated 3.5 million posts, leading to the birth of a little something called ‘sleepmaxxing’ (AKA, optimizing sleep). Thought it was the norm to enjoy one nice long slumber from night until the morning? Think again, because as part of this increasing trend towards improving sleep, discussions have turned to ‘polyphasic sleep.’ ‘Polyphasic sleep, where sleep is divided into multiple shorter periods throughout the day rather than one long stretch, is often touted as a way to optimize wakefulness and potentially reduce the total amount of sleep needed The rationale behind polyphasic sleep is that by focusing on shorter, more frequent sleep cycles, particularly the more restorative phases like REM sleep, individuals may feel more rested despite sleeping fewer hours overall Some proponents argue that it can improve productivity, alertness, and even cognitive function by aligning sleep with the body’s natural circadian rhythms more effectively than traditional monophasic sleep Wondering how to balance polyphasic sleep with a full-time job? As Dr Seeta advises, this practice might be best suited to those with flexible schedules, such as freelancers or digital nomads – but they’re not the only ones who can tailor their routine to suit. Shift workers, who often have irregular sleep patterns, may benefit from adopting polyphasic sleep as it allows them to break up their sleep across their off-hours. By taking short naps between work shifts, they may maintain a higher level of alertness and energy throughout their day, Shift workers, who often have irregular sleep patterns, may benefit from adopting polyphasic sleep as it allows them to break up their sleep across their off-hours. By taking short naps between work shifts, they may maintain a higher level of alertness and energy throughout their day, As per her advice, full-time workers can try out a biphasic sleeping pattern (AKA, dividing sleeping blocks into two) by having a shorter ‘core sleep’ at night and a nap in the late afternoon or early evening.
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