Sleep headphones - solution or problem? Sleep is a very complex topic, as is the…
Polyphasic sleep - Can we really all do the Ronaldo?
Polyphasic sleep has been known to a wider public since Ronaldo at the latest. It refers to a special sleep pattern that is very different from our classic sleep rhythm. Biphasic and polyphasic sleep are also not the same thing.
Biphasic sleep
Biphasic sleep is a sleep pattern that differs from modern monophasic sleep (a long night’s sleep) in that it divides sleep into two phases: usually a main sleep period at night and an additional shorter sleep interval during the day. This pattern was historically widespread, especially in the pre-industrial era, when people often practiced a “first” and “second sleep”, with a short period of wakefulness in between. During this phase, people engaged in quiet activities such as prayer, meditation, reading or conversation, but also enjoyed sexual activities.
Today, biphasic sleep is considered beneficial for people who have difficulty achieving the desired quality of sleep during a long sleep block. Biphasic sleep is especially common among night shift workers and blue collar workers. An afternoon sleep cycle, often referred to as a “siesta”, can improve cognitive performance, memory and overall alertness.
Studies show that this can boost creativity in shift workers, reduce stress levels and enhance the restorative function of sleep. This is also common in cultures where the work situation or climate favors longer breaks during the day.
Many people in other stressful professions, particularly in creative and high performance jobs, use biphasic sleep specifically. A midday nap can increase productivity and is particularly popular in the healthcare sector and in countries where the siesta is culturally embedded. Research suggests that biphasic sleep is less at odds with a person’s natural circadian rhythm, especially if it allows at least some sleep to occur within the biological sleep window.
What is polyphasic sleep?
Sleeping for 8 hours and not sleeping for 16 hours generally determines our 24-hour structure. Our society is built around this structure, which is why most people don’t question it – it has always been like this. But has it always been like this?
Polyphasic sleep means that sleep is divided into several shorter blocks throughout the day. These are based on a sleep cycle that includes several non-REM deep sleep stages, a REM sleep stage and a light sleep stage in addition to the phase of falling asleep. Normally, in monophasic sleep, the deep sleep phases decrease in intensity over the course of the night and the REM phases increase in length. As a rule, such cycles last between 70 and 120 minutes. On average, it is assumed that they last 90 minutes. In polyphasic sleep, these cycles are virtually run through individually, with longer interruptions at different times within 24 hours.
A nap during the day is not enough to be considered polyphasic sleep, as you are trying to avoid deep sleep. Shorter sleep phases can lead to the body being torn out of a deep sleep phase, which can result in tiredness and long wake-up times. Many people know the feeling of waking up feeling exhausted after a 45 to 60-minute nap.
The cycles must therefore be run through completely.
Biphasic (i.e. two-phase) is a mixed form and is often used by shift workers. This has the advantage, especially for night shifts, that they get more out of the day. They usually sleep 4 hours before the night shift and 4 hours after the night shift.
Our ancestors - did they sleep differently?
Before the invention of artificial light, it was difficult to stay active after dark, forcing people to follow the natural alternation of day and night. Historical accounts from pre-industrial times suggest that people often woke up at night and slept in several phases. However, polyphasic sleep at this time was attributed more to the wealthy, at least according to reports. With the advent of electric lighting, however, the continuous night’s sleep that is common today became established.
However, polyphasic sleep is becoming increasingly popular – especially among people who want to increase their productivity. Unlike in the past, polyphasic sleep today is usually a conscious decision and not an adaptation to life circumstances.
Polyphasic sleep - what benefits are attributed to it?
Polyphasic sleep can be beneficial in certain situations:
- Increase productivity: Theoretically, the total sleep time can be reduced with the help of special sleep schedules. Some controversial sleep schedules reduce sleep to just two to three hours a day, claiming to maximize productive hours.
- Flexibility for shift workers: People with irregular schedules, such as parents with newborns, shift workers or frequent travelers, can adapt their sleep more flexibly to individual needs and prevent exhaustion.
- Increased alertness and concentration: Some people report increased alertness and concentration, as the shorter sleep phases can have a more intensive effect. Scientists assume that the shortened phases are used more optimally with regular use.
Polyphasic sleep therefore offers a certain degree of flexibility. It allows you to tailor your sleep times precisely to your needs and take breaks as required. This can be a great advantage in creative professions or in a flexible environment to prevent exhaustion – it can!
Cristiano Ronaldo - the prime example of polyphasic sleeping
The world-famous footballer Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the most successful and athletic footballers of all time. He has impressive skills on the pitch, not least due to his meticulous care of his body and mind. Sleep habits are a key aspect of his health and performance strategy. He practices the polyphasic sleep approach and strategically distributes his sleep times throughout the day to maximize his potential. This was designed specifically for his needs by Dr. Nick Littlehales, a sleep consultant to elite athletes and chairman of the UK Sleep Council.
Instead of sleeping once for a long time, sleep is divided into 5 periods throughout the day, each lasting around 90 minutes per cycle. He supplements his total sleep time with several power naps of 20 to 30 minutes. The focus here is not on the quantity, but on the quality and timing of recovery. The regularity of the sleep phases enables Ronaldo to maintain his performance throughout the day and at the same time recover quickly after intensive training sessions. With this strategy, he is always ready for peak physical and mental performance. This is of crucial importance for a professional athlete.
However, it should be borne in mind that this is specially tailored to his high-performance routines. Therefore, this cannot automatically be transferred 1:1 to the average citizen.
How does this affect his performance?
Sleep plays an important role in muscle recovery, cognitive function and general physical health. Ronaldo uses this sleep model to improve his reaction time, alertness and decision-making during the game. The frequent, short sleep phases promote rapid recovery, so that the player is quickly fit again even after an intensive training session or match.
But again, this is done in conjunction with other performance-enhancing measures that are tailored to Ronaldo and his sport. He also places great importance not only on his sleeping habits, but also on his physical fitness and diet. This discipline has made him one of the best soccer players in history and is an example of how sleep, general health and performance can be successfully harmonized.
Numerous studies have shown that a lack of sleep has a negative effect on athletic performance, as reaction times are longer, motivation is lower and the risk of injury is higher.
Polyphasic sleep - what the critics say about it
Littlehalse is an advocate of polyphasic sleep, but there are also critics in the ranks of scientific experts. Many see the core problem in continuity. Not everyone can plan their day so stringently, coordinate it with other factors (diet, etc.) and focus on a very specific goal.
Sleep patterns are often spread throughout the day, making it difficult to fit in appointments and social commitments. A fixed sleep pattern in several phases can have a negative impact on social life and also affect family relationships, especially if everyone else around you follows the classic sleep rhythm and the night also mutates into day.
Long-term health effects have hardly been researched to date. Many experts are critical of a fragmented sleep structure, as it often leads to reduced total sleep time. A lack of sleep can weaken the immune system, limit cognitive performance, impair the ability to regenerate and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Getting the body used to polyphasic sleep can be a big challenge. We are trained to sleep in a block at night. If you want to break this pattern, you need patience and discipline. Initially, you may experience intense tiredness, irritability and mood swings. For some people, it takes weeks to get used to the new rhythm. In addition, polyphasic sleep requires a strict schedule to be effective. If you deviate from this schedule, for example due to unexpected commitments or a change in your daily schedule, this can disrupt your entire sleep cycle.
And … habituation does not mean that there are no negative long-term consequences for the body.
Polyphasic sleep - what does science say?
So far, there are only limited research results. Many studies are limited to specific conditions, such as experiments in extreme situations (e.g. space travel). Initial evidence suggests that some people successfully adapt to and benefit from polyphasic sleep, but this adaptation varies greatly between individuals. Further research is needed to assess the long-term health benefits and disadvantages.
Weighing up the advantages and disadvantages
Polyphasic sleep has clear benefits for people with certain needs, such as increased flexibility. In particular, people who have irregular working hours or spend a lot of time on creative projects can be more effective with this sleep pattern under certain conditions. It should be borne in mind that this can lead to severe restrictions in the social sphere. The long-term health consequences of such sleep patterns have hardly been researched.
This sleep pattern also requires a high degree of discipline and consistency. If you don’t stick to a fixed, structured schedule, you will find it difficult to reap the benefits. However, if you manage to find a balance between the short sleep phases and the waking hours, polyphasic sleep could be a sleep pattern that goes hand in hand with a more productive and fulfilling life. However, you must bear in mind that this sleep pattern is not suitable for everyone. If you are considering it for yourself, you should plan your sleep phases carefully and be aware of the risks.
My opinion
I count myself among the critics because I focus on health and not performance optimization. Ronaldo will be forty in 2025 and his performance is already declining with age. From this age onwards, it is not uncommon for the long-term effects of sleep problems to become noticeable. It is not said that these will affect Ronaldo at some point, but it is also not impossible. He is, so to speak, the first long-term study subject when it comes to polyphasic sleep. It will be interesting to see whether he remains faithful to his current sleeping habits, especially when he is no longer actively playing.
For me, there is one key argument against the fact that polyphasic sleep is in line with our nature, and that is the melatonin level during sleep. The DLMO heralds the sleepiness phase, which then leads to falling asleep after approx. 1.5-2.5 hours. This initially happens without external stimuli, purely on a genetic basis. It is known that light can delay the DLMO, but in this case it is irrelevant.
If polyphasic sleep were a natural occurrence, the natural power of such clever sleep would make sense for everyone?melatonin production would fall after the respective 90-minute cycles to enable waking up. In the same way, it would then increase again on its own when the next cycle is due. There would therefore be several DLMOs spread over the 24 hours.
However, there is no scientific evidence that this has ever been the case, not even among primitive peoples. So as soon as I have to train myself to do it, it is no longer a natural process.
As I said, shorter night-time sleep with power naps spread throughout the day corresponds to natural conditions, but polyphasic sleep does not, according to current findings.
As a ChronoCoach, you have to take a very close look at a client’s situation. In my opinion, it makes no sense to learn something stressful and to be extremely disciplined in order to (perhaps) improve recovery by a few points. The “extra” stress would cancel out this gain.
I therefore see polyphasic sleep as the absolute exception in order to pursue a very specific goal that focuses purely on improving performance. You have to be aware of the potential risks.
Biphasic sleep is different. It is a very good way of reducing the effects of an already disturbed melatonin production through an opposing sleep/wake rhythm, especially in shift work.
Polyphasic sleep - Are there any other fans besides Ronaldo?
Some famous personalities are officially attributed to polyphasic sleep. Leonardo da Vinci was a prominent advocate of the so-called Uberman sleep cycle, in which he took several short 20-minute naps throughout the day. This method enabled him to get a total of only around two hours of sleep per day and still supposedly work efficiently and creatively.
Nikola Tesla also used a supposedly polyphasic sleep structure, in which he only took around two hours of sleep per day in short intervals to increase his productivity and concentration.
However, this classification is not correct, as polyphasic sleep means going through at least 3 complete sleep cycles (light sleep phases, deep sleep phases, rem sleep). Naps, as already mentioned, are not sufficient to be considered polyphasic.
Winston Churchill, on the other hand, used a biphasic sleep routine, sleeping for five hours at night and taking another two-hour nap later in the day to replenish his energy.
So, at least according to my research, Cristiano Ronaldo is currently the only celebrity to use this sleep pattern. Do you know of any others or have you even had long-term experience with it yourself? Please let me know and send me an email to michael@wieden.com. Maybe I’ll invite you to a podcast together if you’re interested.
