Sleep 3 to 4 hours can also be far from what we would normally consider healthy.
However, it could be an issue to analyze!
Most people who sleep 3 to 4 hours a day are governed by a sleep organization called polyphasic sleep.
Dangers
While some people believe that there are benefits, there are also dangers.
One of the main ones may be the decrease in cognitive function and adequate decision making – we have more difficulty in concentrating, making decisions, being productive; which can cause accidents, irritability, depression, or memory loss.
There can also be physical consequences caused by sleep deprivation. Some people gain weight, decrease sexual desire, and change the skin, such as dark circles. Other diseases such as heart disease or diabetes can become a possibility if the body does not receive adequate rest
Should I sleep for 3 to 4 hours?
This will always depend on how the body responds to rest for a shorter period than usual. Some people can function very well rested for only 3 hours and, in fact, perform better after sleeping in stages. Although many experts still recommend a minimum of 6 hours per night, with 8 being preferable.
Several researchers, and many testimonies, let us know, in this way, sleep is polyphasic.
What is this?
Many people – often energetic and outgoing, great entrepreneurs or researchers – choose to save on rest and say they feel good, but they probably are not. Others struggle, even though they know they are feeling bad during the day.
Sleeping is not just closing your eyes. It is a whole set of processes that we go through and that we need.
Polyphasic sleep is the opposite of monophasic sleep (or sleeping once a day) which says that we should interrupt sleep more often to maximize waking hours.
In this specific case, we would be talking about the Everyman method. It consists of a “central” sleep lasting 3–4 hours and three 20-minute naps throughout the day for a total of four hours.
Benefits:
• Productivity. Whoever did it, says that he does all the work for the day before lunch, making it easier to solve the tasks.
• Sleep without an alarm, as the habit is acquired and you wake up before
• Healthy food. Since you are not going to sleep on a full stomach, you start to eat more healthily and naturally. As a result, laziness and the feeling of heaviness in the afternoon disappeared and what was previously spent on bread and hamburgers is saved.
• More books and more sports.
• Time alone – there is more peace and tranquility than time alone. Sleeping at periodic intervals can cause the person who is sleeping to stay awake while others are still at rest.
• Quality sleep – Given the perceived increase in the time spent in the typically advanced REM cycle, many polyphasic sleepers believe they have better quality sleep than if they slept 6 to 8 consecutive hours. The working theory is that more time spent in deeper rest will promote more attention and energy throughout the day as a whole.
Cons:
• Without borders between days. It is difficult to enjoy time with a constant flow of activities. The days may become a series of sunrises and sunsets. Now people go to sleep and now they get up.
• No parties or going out with friends. Besides, alcohol ends up with all your buddies.
• It is not advisable at all because of health issues. In the beginning, the load on the circulatory and nervous systems is very high.
Some experts are even against these types of methods because there is very little research to show what the long-term consequences will be. Some fear that the change in sleep cycles is not natural and could damage the metabolic and endocrine systems. An increase in blood sugar levels and hormonal disorders can also be caused by reduced sleep methods.
If your life is more like a long list of tasks for which you are always looking for time, then polyphasic sleep is what a lot of people think they need. But, on the other hand, the whole world lives in a single-phase mode.
Friends and family will not understand you when you say “no” to another night or when you ask to take a break from the movie, because it’s time for your rest.
In the end, the choice of sleeping in stages is entirely yours. Only you will know what your body can handle and whether any of the sleep structures are suitable or not for your various needs. Be careful to pay attention to side effects that can negatively affect your health and adjust nap times as needed or go back to the traditional routine.
The high fragmentation of sleep, from nine to ten awakenings per hour, can be strongly associated with dementia. Experts say you can test whether you’re pushing your body too hard.
Our light sleep only accounts for 60% of sleep. The deep represents 40%. Think about the last time you had a five-hour block that was focused and uninterrupted. Can you imagine the possibilities if you had this every day? It is complicated.
The truth is that we cannot live long without sleep. Nowadays, it is more and more common to sleepless. Several sleep researchers said they are more concerned with people who sleep very little, those who sleep less than four hours, regardless of how that habit makes them feel. Just because it is natural to sleepless does not mean that it is good. Many of us avoid being tired by stimulating ourselves – coffee, for example. And if the body asks to shut down and restore, why wake it up?
The same is true with computers. When it gets too hot and has updates to make, we have to shut them down, otherwise, it will accumulate, and one day, spoil.
So the important thing is not to sleep too much, but to sleep well. Instead of sleeping more, sleeping better
N.D. (2020). Sleeping 3 Hours – How to Sleep Less [Online]. Available at: https://www.sleepadvisor.org/3-hours-of-sleep/ (accessed April 26th, 2021).
