Zzzzzzzzz and Polyphasic Kramer

Why Napping Can’t Replace a Good Night’s Rest and Stonewall Jackson Takes a Nap, decease both from the Atlantic.

Last week, ambulance I had a pre-planned early morning work thing.  We had a meeting at 4:45am, information pills and I know about 50 folks had a meeting a pre-meeting meeting at 3:30am.  Some folks had to drive a distance to attend this meeting – which probably meant some folks woke up in the 2s.

Personally, I worked with someone that day that drove in from the Bay area.  She had about an hour of sleep before the work thing, and by about 7:30am, she didn’t give a f$%k about what happened, as long as it got over soon.  I really couldn’t blame her – being asked to perform on 1 hour of sleep is not the business.

I got home and took a solid 2 hour nap.  I’m sure you know the feeling, I slept deep, but woke up feeling a mix of sluggish or jittery.

Personally, whenever possible I try to reduce the sleep deprivation drill for myself or anyone in my immediate circle.  I got to play some pretty good sleep deprivation games in college and the army.  Pretty quickly it became obvious that the ability to perform at a high level on as little sleep as possible was a pretty important thing.  The only thing is, it was kind of impossible.

In college, at least I could be like a sleep camel, and catchup on the weekends.  The army really pushed the sleep thing – even in normal training cycles 2-3 hours a night was all you could expect.  Naps were impossible.  There were times I literally sat down and passed out on my gear, called the rucksack flop.  The only thing that kept me going was really bad coffee and dip.

Which is all to say, walking around sleep deprived – making decisions, interacting with loved ones – is probably not a gut check or a sign of toughness. It’s just not the best way to be the best you can be.

Workout of the Day

30 Handstand Pushups

40 Pullups

50 Kettlebell Swings 53/35

60 Situps

70 Burpees to Touch 6″