Caffeine’s generally a bad idea in a long-term polyphasic pattern. You’d build a tolerance to it, and have to start taking more, and it starts to make napping difficult. But what if you’re not looking for a pattern that’s sustainable indefinitely?
Scenario: you have a month in which to do an amount of work which isn’t actually humanly possible. Finish a book, write the next Facebook, whatever. So you need a way to cut down on sleep as much as possible during that month while leaving you as functional as possible.
Caffeine doesn’t immediately have an effect on your nervous system. It takes from 15-25 minutes to actually work. Also, caffeine’s half-life is about five hours in a healthy adult.
Which brings me to Tesla with caffeine naps. It goes like this:
1. Take a dose of caffeine (how much would vary by individual tolerance, but I’m guessing about 100mg would do it (about the amount in one cup of drip coffee).
2. Sleep until the caffeine takes effect. Quite often the caffeine will wake you up on its own – if not, set an alarm as well. It will definitely make waking up a lot easier.
3. Do stuff for the next five hours and forty minutes.
4. Repeat until your task is done.
I’m not making any claims about this working long-term. After a point the caffeine would just stop working at the present dose. But in the short-medium term, from 2-6 weeks, I’m thinking it would be effective. Caffeine definitely makes the early stages of adaption to Tesla a lot less painful (but it makes the rest more painful, so don’t try it with ordinary Tesla).
So next time I’m faced with a huge task and only a month in which to do it, this will be my pattern of choice – and of course I’ll write here about how it works out for me.
Questions/opinions/’you’re insane’ comments welcome. :)
2 Comments
Hello !
I’m actually trying the tesla pattern with caffein naps. I began yesterday so, last night I only have one caffein nap at 1 o’clock and another early in the morning at 7o’clock.
I will tell you how I feel. But quite right actually, and coffee makes me working better, harder, and faster.
Are you sure that coffe warns us to adapt very well ?
It’s not my first experience with polyphasic sleep. Last year I was unto everyman during one month and half but with no caffeine and it seemd to me much harder than it is right now.
Interesting to be discussed.
Nice nap !!!
Léonard
Hey Léonard,
I’m glad you’re trying it! Let me know how it goes.
The caffeine will make initial adaption easier, yes. The problem is that if you rely on caffeine your pattern won’t last, because you’ll build up a tolerance to the caffeine and it’ll stop working. But if you’re only looking for a pattern to sustain for a month or so, I think caffeine is a good solution.
Good luck!
Sharif
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