The 4-Hour Body Part 31

In 1996, I once went almost five days without sleep to see (1) if I could make it a week (I couldn't), and (2) what the side effects would be. Hallucinations cut that little experiment short, but I've continued to play with different patterns of sleep cycles.

One of the most fascinating approaches is that of "polyphasic" sleep: breaking sleep up into multiple segments so you can perform well with as little as two hours of sleep per day. The potential advantages of this schedule for new parents-or anyone else forced to embrace insufficient sleep-are tremendous. Beyond that, think of the books you could read, the things you could learn, the adventures you could have with an extra six hours per day. It would open up a new world of possibilities.

There are hundreds, if not thousands, who swear by the Thomas Edison approach to minimalist sleep, which bears little resemblance to "sleep" as you know it.

I have used both the "Everyman" and "Siesta," detailed in this chapter, with great success. I reserve anything resembling "Uberman" for emergency deadlines only. To explain the options and pitfalls of each, I'll let a more experienced polyphasic sleeper, Dustin Curtis, tell you his story.

Enter Dustin Curtis My body is incompatible with Earth.

It has a daily sleep-wake cycle that lasts about 28 hours instead of 24, which means each day I stay awake about four hours longer than most people. In the middle of the week, I sometimes find myself waking up at 11:00 P.M P.M. and going to bed in the early afternoon the next day. When I was younger, people thought I was insane. The only thing I remember of elementary school is being tired.

Eventually, I discovered that if I stuck to a 28-hour schedule, my body was happy. I woke up rested, went to sleep tired, and everything worked great. Except that, well, my life was incompatible with the rest of the world. Living with a normal schedule was going to be tough, so I had to find a solution.

After some research, I discovered that what I probably have is called non-24-hour sleep-wake syndrome. The solution is polyphasic sleep, which anyone can use to shave six hours off their normal sleeping time (with a catch, of course).

h.e.l.lO, POLYPHASIC SLEEP...

The basic premise of polyphasic sleep is that the most beneficial phase of sleep is the REM phase. Normal sleepers experience REM for a mere 12 hours per night. To reap the benefits of polyphasic sleep, we'll need to engineer things so that REM is a much higher percentage of total sleep.

One of the ways to force your brain into REM sleep and skip the other phases is to make it feel exhausted. If you've gone 24 hours without sleep, you might notice that you drift away into dreams straight from being awake. This is because your body goes instantly into REM sleep as a protection mechanism. The way to hack yourself into entering REM sleep without being exhausted is to trick your body into thinking you're going to get a tiny amount of sleep. You can train it to enter REM for short periods of time throughout the day in 20-minute naps rather than in one lump at night. This is how polyphasic sleep works.

There are actually six good methods to choose from. The first one, monophasic sleep, is the way you've probably slept your whole life. The five others are quite a bit more interesting.

With monophasic sleep, you sleep for eight hours eight hours and you get about and you get about two hours of good REM sleep two hours of good REM sleep. This is the normal schedule most people use, and it means about five hours of the night are lost to (as far as we know) unnecessary unconsciousness.

There are five methods for polyphasic sleep that all focus on many 20-minute naps throughout the day and, in some cases, a couple hours of core sleep at night. The simplest is the "Siesta" method, "Siesta" method, which includes just one nap in the day and then a huge chunk of sleep at night. Remarkably, adding just one nap during the day which includes just one nap in the day and then a huge chunk of sleep at night. Remarkably, adding just one nap during the day shaves an hour and 40 minutes off shaves an hour and 40 minutes off your total sleep requirement. your total sleep requirement.

The "Everyman" method is just a stepped ladder that offers different combinations of naps and core sleep. The amount of total sleep per day is drastically reduced for each extra nap you add.

The "Uberman" method, "Uberman" method, coined by PureDoxyk, has six naps and no core sleep. Amazingly, you can function with just coined by PureDoxyk, has six naps and no core sleep. Amazingly, you can function with just two total hours of sleep two total hours of sleep using the Uberman method. using the Uberman method.

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THE CATCH.

How awesome would it be to sleep a total of two hours a day and feel rested? Very awesome, of course, but there is a catch. The more naps you have (and thus the less sleep you have total), the more rigorous you have to be regarding your nap times. You can't miss a nap by more than a couple hours in the Everyman 2 and Everyman 3 methods, and you must have your naps within 30 minutes of their scheduled times for the Uberman method. If you miss a nap, the whole schedule is thrown off, and you'll feel tired for days.

The rigor of keeping the schedule makes most of these methods unrealistic for 9-to-5 employees. But if you have a flexible schedule and can manage to pick a method and stick with it for several months, you'll find that you feel amazing and have a seemingly unlimited amount of time during the day to get things done.

This, to me, is the ultimate brain hack.

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Step #1: Determine your sleep schedule. You will be taking 20-minute naps, every four hours, around the clock. That's six naps, evenly s.p.a.ced over the course of 24 hours (e.g., 2:00 You will be taking 20-minute naps, every four hours, around the clock. That's six naps, evenly s.p.a.ced over the course of 24 hours (e.g., 2:00 A A.M., 6:00 A A.M., 10:00 A A.M., 2:00 P P.M., 6:00 P P.M., and 10:00 P P.M.). This cycle will remain the same throughout your polyphasic sleeping period.

Step #2: Do NOT oversleep. By oversleeping just once, you'll upset the cycle and feel exhausted (for up to 24 hours) as a result. Under no circ.u.mstances should you sleep more than 20 minutes, as it can ultimately cause you to abandon the polyphasic schedule out of fatigue. Get a reliable alarm clock. If you're tempted to hit the snooze b.u.t.ton, put the clock far away from where you sleep.

Step #3: Do NOT skip naps. Respect your schedule and follow it to the minute. Skipping them will have a compounding effect. Missing one nap results in a loss of energy that requires two more naps to return you to normal mental sharpness. Respect your schedule and follow it to the minute. Skipping them will have a compounding effect. Missing one nap results in a loss of energy that requires two more naps to return you to normal mental sharpness.

Step #4: Beat the initiation phase. The first week and a half is the toughest. If you follow your outlined schedule, don't oversleep, and don't skip naps, you should be well adjusted to your new sleeping regimen in just under two weeks, though some can take up to three weeks. The first week and a half is the toughest. If you follow your outlined schedule, don't oversleep, and don't skip naps, you should be well adjusted to your new sleeping regimen in just under two weeks, though some can take up to three weeks.

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TOOLS AND TRICKS.

Dustin Curtis (http://blog.dustincurtis.com/) The blog of the author of this chapter, interface designer, start-up design advisor, and amateur neuroscientist Dustin Curtis. The blog of the author of this chapter, interface designer, start-up design advisor, and amateur neuroscientist Dustin Curtis.

Steve Pavlina's Sleep Logs (www.fourhourbody.com/pavlina) Steve Pavlina's trial of polyphasic sleep is what introduced me to Uberman. These are the most detailed polyphasic sleep logs you'll find anywhere on the web. Steve Pavlina's trial of polyphasic sleep is what introduced me to Uberman. These are the most detailed polyphasic sleep logs you'll find anywhere on the web.

Uberman Schedule Success Stories (www.poly-phasers.com, www.fourhourbody.com/kuro5hin) Kuro5hin is what introduced Matt Mullenweg, lead developer of the popular blogging software WordPress, to the Uberman schedule, which he used for one year. He recounts the experience: Kuro5hin is what introduced Matt Mullenweg, lead developer of the popular blogging software WordPress, to the Uberman schedule, which he used for one year. He recounts the experience: "It was probably the most productive year of my life. The first three to four weeks you're a zombie, but once you settle into the schedule, you don't even need an alarm to wake up after the naps. I probably wrote the majority of my code contributions for Wordpress.org during that time. Then, I got a girlfriend. That was the end of Uberman, and the beginning of a significantly less productive-but more romantic-phase. It's nice to be able to spend a normal night with someone instead of just sleeping 20 minutes." during that time. Then, I got a girlfriend. That was the end of Uberman, and the beginning of a significantly less productive-but more romantic-phase. It's nice to be able to spend a normal night with someone instead of just sleeping 20 minutes."

Try Polyphasic (http://forums.trypolyphasic.com/) This forum covers common questions, and practical suggestions, from people around the world who are attempting polyphasic sleep. This forum covers common questions, and practical suggestions, from people around the world who are attempting polyphasic sleep.

"How the Everyman Sleep Schedule Was Born" (www.fourhourbody.com/everyman) Read about how the Uberman has been modified to make it more flexible with people's schedules. Read about how the Uberman has been modified to make it more flexible with people's schedules.

"Polyphasic Sleep: Facts and Myths" (www.supermemo.com/articles/polyphasic.htm) This article compares polyphasic sleep to regular monophasic sleep, biphasic sleep, and the concept of "free- running" sleep. This article compares polyphasic sleep to regular monophasic sleep, biphasic sleep, and the concept of "free- running" sleep.

HOW TO KEEP ON SCHEDULE.

Kuku Klok (www.kukuklok.com) Once loaded, this online alarm clock will work even if your Internet connection goes down. Once loaded, this online alarm clock will work even if your Internet connection goes down.

Clocky Moving Alarm Clock (www.fourhourbody.com/clocky) This patented alarm clock jumps three feet from your nightstand and runs away while beeping to get you up. You can only snooze once. This patented alarm clock jumps three feet from your nightstand and runs away while beeping to get you up. You can only snooze once.

Wakerupper (www.wakerupper.com) Wakerupper is an online phone reminder tool. Schedule reminder calls to ring to your cell phone at specific times. Wakerupper is an online phone reminder tool. Schedule reminder calls to ring to your cell phone at specific times.

REVERSING INJURIES.

REVERSING "PERMANENT" INJURIES Hacking is much bigger than clever bits of code in a computer-it's how we create the future.-Paul Buchheit, creator of GmailI recently went to a new doctor and noticed he was located in something called the Professional Building. I felt better right away.-George Carlin [image]

Less than half of my MRIs and X-rays from 2004 to 2009.

The French explorer and marine biologist Jacques Cousteau was once asked how he defined a "scientist." His answer:

It is a curious man looking through a keyhole, the keyhole of nature, trying to know what's going on.

I had become a very curious man in June 2009 out of pain and desperation. The question I had in mind was extreme: what would happen if I tried to reverse a lifetime of injuries and physical abuse in 14 days?

If there were no financial constraints, if I had access to the doctors and drugs of Olympic and professional athletes, could I do it?

Or, perhaps more likely, would I just go bankrupt or kill myself?

In the end, I did come close to killing myself (easy to avoid, thankfully), but I reversed almost all of my "permanent" injuries. It took closer to six months, but the end result was well worth the hiccups along the way.

Let us begin with a cautionary tale, and then we'll move on to how to reap the benefits without the screwups.

The $10,000 Lesson I was sitting on a doctor's table in Tempe, Arizona, battling the ice-cold air conditioning as I stared, not through Jacques' keyhole, but at a bulging transverse colon.

It was gorgeous.

The bulbous organ was right in the middle of an anatomical poster on the wall, and for some reason, the artist had rendered it in such glistening realism that it dominated the entire chart. For lack of other decorations, I ended up fixating on the colon like a candle flame while I had three-inch needles stuck into my neck, shoulders, and ankles.

The first needle grazed my cervical spine, and I began to sweat. That was just the warm-up. Within two hours, I set the clinic record for single-visit injections.

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Setting the clinic injection record.

There were two additional sessions over the next eight days, and I traveled the full spectrum of emotions, including abject terror. The needle taps on my spine, done to elicit additional growth factor release, sounded like small scratches on a blackboard. Less than an hour later, I watched on in perverse amus.e.m.e.nt (the c.u.mulative anesthetic of 10+ shots helped) as a syringe inserted in one side of my left ankle began to dance underneath the skin on the opposite side like a chest-popping fetus from Aliens Aliens. It then poked through the skin, and I was less amused. Not a party trick you want to show your patients.

We used everything but the kitchen sink.

The most potent of the chemical c.o.c.ktails was a hybrid. It combined the ingredients used on the knees of an Olympic skier with the ingredients used on one sprinter who'd torn his Achilles tendon eight weeks prior to the world championships. The latter ended up winning a gold medal.

The final Frankenstein elixir was serious business. It included: Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) PRP is an emerging treatment mainly used with elite athletes. It gained national attention in 2009 when used successfully to treat two Pittsburgh Steelers just weeks prior to their Super Bowl victory. PRP contains the plasma portion of your blood with concentrated platelets. Platelets are packed with growth and healing factors and are part of the body's normal tissue repair system. The PRP is prepared using a special centrifuge after whole blood is drawn from your arm, similar to getting blood drawn for lab work. PRP is an emerging treatment mainly used with elite athletes. It gained national attention in 2009 when used successfully to treat two Pittsburgh Steelers just weeks prior to their Super Bowl victory. PRP contains the plasma portion of your blood with concentrated platelets. Platelets are packed with growth and healing factors and are part of the body's normal tissue repair system. The PRP is prepared using a special centrifuge after whole blood is drawn from your arm, similar to getting blood drawn for lab work.

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Making platelet-rich plasma.

PRP formed the base to which the following were added: Stem cell factor (SCF), flown in from Israel, which a.s.sists in blood cell production. flown in from Israel, which a.s.sists in blood cell production.Bone morphogenic protein 7 (BMP-7), which helps adult stem cells (mesenchymal) develop into bone and cartilage. In retrospect, I believe this to be the most dangerous substance in all of the c.o.c.ktails I tried. which helps adult stem cells (mesenchymal) develop into bone and cartilage. In retrospect, I believe this to be the most dangerous substance in all of the c.o.c.ktails I tried.Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) IGF-1 has anabolic (tissue-building) effects in adults and is produced in the liver after stimulation by growth hormone. It is one of the most potent natural activators of cell growth and multiplication. It is also an expensive drug used at the higher levels of professional bodybuilding. IGF-1 has anabolic (tissue-building) effects in adults and is produced in the liver after stimulation by growth hormone. It is one of the most potent natural activators of cell growth and multiplication. It is also an expensive drug used at the higher levels of professional bodybuilding.

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Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1) So what happened?

The end result four months later, according to the world-cla.s.s Harvard-trained spine specialist who looked at the before-and-after MRIs, was: "I could not appreciate any before-and-after differences."

Now, there might have been microscopic changes (cytokines, etc.), but the MRIs reflected my pain: no change.

The three sessions had cost more than $7,000, and not only was the experience expensive, it ended up being a disaster.

One of the injections in my right elbow resulted in a staph infection and emergency surgery at the University of CaliforniaSan Francisco Medical Center, almost two months of limited arm use, and more than $10,000 in hospital expenses.

When I contacted the sports scientist responsible for the injections to ask for $1,500 to help defray the costs, the e-mail response was as unorthodox as the treatment:

Why would you even waste your time asking me for this when you can just go out and make far more money?

Wow.

In scientific parlance, the whole thing was a total cl.u.s.ter-f.u.c.k.

Not because PRP, for example, doesn't work (I believe it will completely revolutionize regenerative medicine), but because I didn't find the right person to administer it.

There are a lot of pitfalls when you seek out the cutting-edge: snake oil, and con artists who capitalize on the desperate, among other things. How then can you, the reader, with no desire to waste $7,000 20,000, weed out the junk science and charlatans?

The least painful option is to let a human guinea pig test them all for you.

That's my job.

The Reasons First things first: why the h.e.l.l would I do this to myself?

It's quite simple. There is a price to be paid for all of the envelope- pushing I've done over 15+ years. Namely, more than 20 fractures and 20 dislocations, two joint surgeries (shoulder and, now, elbow), and enough tears and sprains to last a lifetime. Decades of full-contact abuse and overconfidence in all sports ending in "-boarding" has made me, as one orthopedic surgeon put it, "a 30-year-old in a 60-year-old body."

Though it was a depressing and fatalist diagnosis, it didn't appear uncommon. My closest male friends, also former compet.i.tive athletes, had all started creaking and groaning after age 30. The aches were turning into surgeries, small training injuries had become chronic pain, and we all recognized the pink elephant in the room: it was going to get worse. Much worse.

For me, the straw that broke the camel's back was a series of high-dose prednisone prescriptions and epidural injections in 2009. It started with an innocuous shoulder impingement. MRIs showed no shoulder issues but uncovered cervical spine degeneration in five discs.

"This is something you'll just need to live with" was the concluding remark, delivered with an inappropriate smile, from a spine surgeon who works with NHL and NFL teams. None of his recommended drugs or injections would fix the problem. They were nothing more than Band-Aids designed to mask symptoms, to dull the senses. I had graduated to terminal pain management.

My second day on prednisone, a strong immunosuppressant drug, I spent the entire afternoon stumbling around the Mission district in SF in a daze, looking for a car I'd parked just an hour earlier. I gave up after three hours and took a cab to a dinner meeting.

The next morning, I woke up looking like a pug and couldn't remember who I'd had dinner with. Enough was enough. If conventional medicine couldn't fix the problem, it was time for more drastic measures.

If I was going to fix one thing, I wanted to fix them all.

The Menu Looking at the ultimate results (what worked and what didn't) I could have saved myself a lot of expense by following a four-stage approach. Only when options in the first stage fail do you proceed to stage two, and so forth, up to the final stage and last resort: surgical repair.

Stage #1-Movement: Correcting posture and biomechanics through specific movements Correcting posture and biomechanics through specific movementsStage #2-Manipulation: Correcting soft-tissue damage or adhesion using tools or pressure with the hands Correcting soft-tissue damage or adhesion using tools or pressure with the handsStage #3-Medication: Ingesting, injecting, or applying medication Ingesting, injecting, or applying medicationStage #4-Mechanical reconstruction: Surgical repair Surgical repair Below is just a small sample of the approaches I tested for this book during a five-month period in 2009, as well as following shoulder reconstruction in 2004 (which accounts for most of the intramuscular injections). Injections were performed with blood test reviews every two to four weeks.

Part of the drive to experiment was fueled by positive experience: I knew what was possible. Post-surgery in 2004, I used a careful combination of therapies that produced incredible results: my surgically repaired shoulder ended up superior to my uninjured "healthy" shoulder.

Sometimes it's possible to not just restore but exceed previous capabilities, making you "better than new." It can be life-changing.

I have put asterisks next to what had the most immediate and lasting effects, with the areas fixed in parentheses. The most effective of all will be explained in detail afterward.

MOVEMENT.