Biphasic and Polyphasic Sleep
Sleep is crucial to human health, but we don’t all sleep the same way. The way most people sleep is monophasic, where we sleep once per day, typically 6 to 8 hours at a time. Monophasic sleepers enjoy a predictable schedule and a clear day or night in the case of people working the graveyard shift.
However, while monophasic sleep works for most people, it doesn’t work for everyone.
Two less common sleep patterns are biphasic and polyphasic sleep, which tend to be found in people with lower commitments.
Biphasic sleep schedules
Biphasic sleep is a sleeping pattern where people sleep twice per day. The Spanish do this with the Siesta between 2 pm and 5 pm.
In the UK, biphasic sleep is only common in older adults, who often tire in the afternoon and need a nap to re-energise themselves.
Biphasic sleep is also common when we catch a cold, bug, or virus because our body needs more rest to fight infection and recover.
The truth is we are all biphasic sleepers from time to time; catching a nap in the afternoon after a stimulating morning is perfectly normal.
The problem with biphasic sleep is it doesn’t tie in with most working people’s days, especially those with a steady job and commitments. We often see biphasic sleep in retirees, students and young people.
So, while monophasic sleepers sleep once daily, biphasic sleepers sleep twice. But there is another category of sleepers - those who sleep throughout the day for smaller periods, known as polyphasic sleep.
Polyphasic sleep patterns
Polyphasic sleep is a sleeping pattern where people sleep three or more times per day, with as many as six sleeping sessions at scheduled times.
Polyphasic sleepers split their sleeping sessions, usually with a longer session of a few hours and a series of shorter sessions lasting around half an hour. However, more extreme versions of polyphasic sleep limit sleep time to 2-hours.
Polyphasic sleep is most often used in the military for shift work, especially rotational guard swaps in the field with limited personnel.
There are three core schedules to polyphasic sleep:
- Everyman: One 3-hour sleeping session followed by three 20-minute naps throughout the day (total sleep: 4-hours)
- Uberman: Six 30-minute naps throughout the day (total sleep: 3-hours)
- Dymaxion: 30-minute naps every 6 hours (total sleep: 2-hours)
As you can see, there are extreme versions of polyphasic sleep. Getting only two or 3-hours of sleep a day isn’t recommended by any medical professional, but it’s better than nothing if you must restrict your sleeping time.
Famous polyphasic sleepers include:
Biphasic Sleep vs Polyphasic Sleep
Polyphasic sleep is considered extreme, especially the Uberman and Dymaxion versions, making it suitable for a limited range of people.
You might adopt polyphasic sleep if you need to complete an assignment rapidly or have a sleeping condition that makes it hard to stay asleep.
Biphasic sleep studies
Biphasic sleep is much milder, and several studies have found that it can yield health benefits. This study found it can improve heart health, and this study found afternoon naps can significantly improve cognitive function.
The Spanish have known about the health benefits of siestas for centuries, and the practice is common in many hot climates around the world. We don’t have the heat in the UK, but we do have a hectic lifestyle.
Thus, biphasic sleep could improve your physical and mental health, whereas polyphasic sleep is detrimental to health.
Biphasic sleep vs monophasic sleep
Biphasic sleep and monophasic sleep are interchangeable; however, which is best for you almost entirely depends on your lifestyle.
Biphasic sleep requires finding half an hour in the afternoon to sleep, while monophasic sleep delivers one large hit of sleep. Sometimes, we all need to catch an afternoon nap, but this isn’t always convenient.
We recommend sticking to a monophasic sleep pattern and adopting a biphasic sleeping pattern when you need to. There is no harm in catching an afternoon nap but restricting your normal sleep with no guarantee of a good afternoon nap is a recipe for being tired.