Thursday, May 21, 2009
The Organ Recital
This past weekend I attended an organ recital on the Great Organ at Washington National Cathedral. This organ is massive and the sound enchanting, being one of the 20 largest organs in the world. I took the opportunity to sit in the choir pews which rest between the organ's pipes scaling the walls on both sides of the pews. There were 5,000 pipes directly above me beginning 10 feet above my head and extending 3 stories upward, and another 5,000 facing me a mere 30 feet away in Gothic symmetry. Needless to say, embedded as I was in the body of the organ proper, the sound was awe-inspiring. Yet I had been touring the Cathedral since 2pm, and it was now 5:15, and the recital would progress for an hour, taking me well into my scheduled nap time. I closed my eyes to enjoy the sound, and felt the sound resonate all around me. Mid-way through the recital I also felt the grasp of my significant other's hand on my knee, I thought he was being affectionate - it surprised me in this public and conservative venue. Only later did he tell me... it was to wake me because I was snoring.
An Island of Stability
I have been remiss in updating this blog, not for a lack of time however, since I am still polyphasic and never wanting to go back.
First, I have been on a client site for 5 weeks, which requires a lot of flexibility in my sleep times during the day. So I have been on a consistent 3-hr per night schedule, with the occasional 4 or 5 hour night just because I felt like it, and on a couple of weekends I have slept 8 hours for one or two nights. I don't feel like the full nights are setbacks; in fact each time I take one and then go back to the 3-hour nights, I feel better being polyphasic than I did before. At 3 hours a night I am very well-rested each day, and my nap times vary by up to +/-2 hours without any difficulty. I call this a great success. My mental alertness and energy levels are way up.
Now an interesting observation; About a month ago I started to notice my mucous membranes all beginning to feel extremely smooth. I had a hard time figuring out what it was I was experiencing at first; I mean, who thinks about their mucous membranes, except in their nose when they are stuffed up? That is in fact where I first noticed the change - my sinuses cleared and I could feel them being more open than before. Now wait a minute - I have never in my life had a problem with my sinuses per-se, except with the odd cold or two. So for there to be an improvement there when there was never a problem in the first place to me was remarkable. (warning - this paragraph gets into bodily functions and will get weird. Please skip it if you are squeamish about reading about bodily functions.) Then I noticed other things: urinating felt, uhm, nice. Ok, I told you this would get weird. But it did, and flow was way up. BM's were effortless and - how can I say this - uhm felt smooth? Even after eating cheese.
Ok, we're over the bodily functions, but to continue on the mucous membrane track, I started to get a sweet taste in my mouth. All the time, just sitting and doing whatever, my mouth tastes sweet. It's hard to describe. All I know is that internally, linings have all improved (I didn't know they could - I was in great health before this) and it sure feels great. It is interesting to note that I have not read of this effect on anyone else's polyphasic blog, so I may be unique in this aspect. But if anyone has an allergy, it might be interesting to see if it would help it, although it did take a couple of months before this effect kicked in.
In a somehow similar vein, my hearing has changed. It is not more acute, nor less, however there is a distinct change in the quality of my hearing. Sounds seem lush, fluid, somewhat dreamy. Harshness is subdued, percussive tones are not jarring. It is so enjoyable to listen to music - it flows like a stream as the sounds mesh as if propagating through some invisible viscous fluid that does not damp it, only smooth it out.
On a different note, I bought some Ginko Biloba, a supplement which I have taken in the past that improves memory by stimulating brain circulation. It's effects had been unnoticable before, but I was hoping it would help me with alertness during the day - just in hopes of hone an even finer point on it. Well I took it for a couple of days and my concentration was sharper but then had to stop because for 3 days afterward I suffered difficulties falling asleep, and when asleep I was sleeping lightly. It made for a difficult 3 days because of the lack of sleep, so I am loath to try it again, but I am curious as to why it had such a stimulating effect on me when I did not before. Of course, alchohol and caffiene have a much more pronounced effect on me now that I am polyphasic, and I have been without them both for 6 weeks now (with the exception of an iced tea here and there which does not seem to cause me any problems) but for ginko to stimulate that greatly - odd. It isn't classified as a stimulant.
Well the experiment is becoming an addicting way of life. When I tell people that I sleep 3 hours a night (and I'm thinking that it is a lot of sleep for me) they are still astounded. Whereas I am rather over the novelness of the practice, and am simply striving each day to fine-tune it even more. My current sleeping patterns are:
- core: 3 hrs, 12midnight to 3am (start time +/- 2 hours, duration +0 to +5 hrs every 5 to 7 days)
- 3 daytime naps, 20 minutes each: 7:30am, 12noon, 6pm. (start time +/- 2 hours) Laying down while napping gives me the best rest, so I do whatever I can to find a place where I can be horizontal. I have even crawled under a desk at work - shhhhh no-one saw me lol. When necessary, napping in a chair is not too bad.
- ah-hoc naps: frequency as desired when alertness is severely degraded: 5-10 minutes duration (usually with my head on a desk, although I have laid down for a few)
Nap locations:
- bed (ahhhhh - always the best)
- back seat of car (I usually revert to this while at work) - fabulous
- under an unused desk at work (wasn't too bad)
- bathrooms (ugh - I hate doing that, but when there is no-where else, I am always able to sit down there and nap. I nap sitting up, so it is not good quality rest, but it will get me through the day.)
After experiencing the increased efficiency of this sleep schedule and now realizing how much more alert I am after a 20-minute nap, I wonder about the social stigma of napping during the day at work - how in the world did it occur? Why does it exist? If employees are allowed to take breaks, why would there not be a place to rest, I mean really rest? It is something unthought of in our culture - it is taboo. Instead, stimulants are the first choice, and completely accepted and even encouraged.
On a side note, my 60-something mother is recovering from cancer surgery, and while I was visiting her for a week (got a week to work "from home" and chose to work from their place so I could visit) I encouraged her to nap on my schedule, without cutting back on her evening sleep. The first day she couldn't nap, but within a couple of days she was napping like a pro, and the difference for her was remarkable. Her energy levels were way up, and her mood and disposition where wonderful. Then after a few days she let it slip, and I could easily see the difference between the "napping mom" and the "non-napping mom." After a few days, her napping was so good she was staying up later, and still feeling great all day - something she always loves to do. So even if you are not polyphasic, perhaps recovering from a trauma such as my mom, naps seem to serve a very important function.
Onward, upward, uhm, and then to sleep.
p.s. I love being a morning person now. It is still a little disconcerting to have to nap during the day, especially the 6pm nap is difficult to deal with, coming right after work and right before dinner it seems to make a hole in my evening, especially if people want to do something after work, but everyone at work knows my sleep schedule, and they accomodate it much more than I thought they would. I now hear from my manager "I want you to work on this over your lunch hour, after your nap." Remarkable.
First, I have been on a client site for 5 weeks, which requires a lot of flexibility in my sleep times during the day. So I have been on a consistent 3-hr per night schedule, with the occasional 4 or 5 hour night just because I felt like it, and on a couple of weekends I have slept 8 hours for one or two nights. I don't feel like the full nights are setbacks; in fact each time I take one and then go back to the 3-hour nights, I feel better being polyphasic than I did before. At 3 hours a night I am very well-rested each day, and my nap times vary by up to +/-2 hours without any difficulty. I call this a great success. My mental alertness and energy levels are way up.
Now an interesting observation; About a month ago I started to notice my mucous membranes all beginning to feel extremely smooth. I had a hard time figuring out what it was I was experiencing at first; I mean, who thinks about their mucous membranes, except in their nose when they are stuffed up? That is in fact where I first noticed the change - my sinuses cleared and I could feel them being more open than before. Now wait a minute - I have never in my life had a problem with my sinuses per-se, except with the odd cold or two. So for there to be an improvement there when there was never a problem in the first place to me was remarkable. (warning - this paragraph gets into bodily functions and will get weird. Please skip it if you are squeamish about reading about bodily functions.) Then I noticed other things: urinating felt, uhm, nice. Ok, I told you this would get weird. But it did, and flow was way up. BM's were effortless and - how can I say this - uhm felt smooth? Even after eating cheese.
Ok, we're over the bodily functions, but to continue on the mucous membrane track, I started to get a sweet taste in my mouth. All the time, just sitting and doing whatever, my mouth tastes sweet. It's hard to describe. All I know is that internally, linings have all improved (I didn't know they could - I was in great health before this) and it sure feels great. It is interesting to note that I have not read of this effect on anyone else's polyphasic blog, so I may be unique in this aspect. But if anyone has an allergy, it might be interesting to see if it would help it, although it did take a couple of months before this effect kicked in.
In a somehow similar vein, my hearing has changed. It is not more acute, nor less, however there is a distinct change in the quality of my hearing. Sounds seem lush, fluid, somewhat dreamy. Harshness is subdued, percussive tones are not jarring. It is so enjoyable to listen to music - it flows like a stream as the sounds mesh as if propagating through some invisible viscous fluid that does not damp it, only smooth it out.
On a different note, I bought some Ginko Biloba, a supplement which I have taken in the past that improves memory by stimulating brain circulation. It's effects had been unnoticable before, but I was hoping it would help me with alertness during the day - just in hopes of hone an even finer point on it. Well I took it for a couple of days and my concentration was sharper but then had to stop because for 3 days afterward I suffered difficulties falling asleep, and when asleep I was sleeping lightly. It made for a difficult 3 days because of the lack of sleep, so I am loath to try it again, but I am curious as to why it had such a stimulating effect on me when I did not before. Of course, alchohol and caffiene have a much more pronounced effect on me now that I am polyphasic, and I have been without them both for 6 weeks now (with the exception of an iced tea here and there which does not seem to cause me any problems) but for ginko to stimulate that greatly - odd. It isn't classified as a stimulant.
Well the experiment is becoming an addicting way of life. When I tell people that I sleep 3 hours a night (and I'm thinking that it is a lot of sleep for me) they are still astounded. Whereas I am rather over the novelness of the practice, and am simply striving each day to fine-tune it even more. My current sleeping patterns are:
- core: 3 hrs, 12midnight to 3am (start time +/- 2 hours, duration +0 to +5 hrs every 5 to 7 days)
- 3 daytime naps, 20 minutes each: 7:30am, 12noon, 6pm. (start time +/- 2 hours) Laying down while napping gives me the best rest, so I do whatever I can to find a place where I can be horizontal. I have even crawled under a desk at work - shhhhh no-one saw me lol. When necessary, napping in a chair is not too bad.
- ah-hoc naps: frequency as desired when alertness is severely degraded: 5-10 minutes duration (usually with my head on a desk, although I have laid down for a few)
Nap locations:
- bed (ahhhhh - always the best)
- back seat of car (I usually revert to this while at work) - fabulous
- under an unused desk at work (wasn't too bad)
- bathrooms (ugh - I hate doing that, but when there is no-where else, I am always able to sit down there and nap. I nap sitting up, so it is not good quality rest, but it will get me through the day.)
After experiencing the increased efficiency of this sleep schedule and now realizing how much more alert I am after a 20-minute nap, I wonder about the social stigma of napping during the day at work - how in the world did it occur? Why does it exist? If employees are allowed to take breaks, why would there not be a place to rest, I mean really rest? It is something unthought of in our culture - it is taboo. Instead, stimulants are the first choice, and completely accepted and even encouraged.
On a side note, my 60-something mother is recovering from cancer surgery, and while I was visiting her for a week (got a week to work "from home" and chose to work from their place so I could visit) I encouraged her to nap on my schedule, without cutting back on her evening sleep. The first day she couldn't nap, but within a couple of days she was napping like a pro, and the difference for her was remarkable. Her energy levels were way up, and her mood and disposition where wonderful. Then after a few days she let it slip, and I could easily see the difference between the "napping mom" and the "non-napping mom." After a few days, her napping was so good she was staying up later, and still feeling great all day - something she always loves to do. So even if you are not polyphasic, perhaps recovering from a trauma such as my mom, naps seem to serve a very important function.
Onward, upward, uhm, and then to sleep.
p.s. I love being a morning person now. It is still a little disconcerting to have to nap during the day, especially the 6pm nap is difficult to deal with, coming right after work and right before dinner it seems to make a hole in my evening, especially if people want to do something after work, but everyone at work knows my sleep schedule, and they accomodate it much more than I thought they would. I now hear from my manager "I want you to work on this over your lunch hour, after your nap." Remarkable.
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