Sleeping on the job

In the name of journalism, two Cosmopolitan writers (attempted to) put the biphasic and dymaxion cycles on trial for a week

BIPHASIC Trialled by Fiona Hayward

Pre-lockdown, I slept for eight hours a night, waking at 7am. Working from home (and not having to look presentable 24/7) gradually meant my bedtime slipped and I started setting my alarm for just 30 minutes before starting work – cue feeling sluggish and unproductive. Going to bed at 1am, I found the 6am starts a struggle at first, but by the end of the trial my deep sleep was 10 minutes higher on average (according to my Garmin watch) and I felt more alert. I also stopped working through my lunch breaks to take a guilt-free nap instead (that said, it took another 30 minutes to get back in the zone after). If done properly, this routine could offer a positive alternative to my usual sleep pattern – but it’s not easy to do on weekends, or while trying to sustain a social life.

DYMAXION Trialled by Jennifer Savin

Anyone else feel there aren’t enough hours in the day? I hoped the dymaxion cycle would help me carve out more time to write my new book. Unfortunately, the opposite happened. For starters, I found it impossible to pick a “bedtime” – one night I stayed up until 3am, slept until half past, then wandered around my flat for hours and tried writing but couldn’t concentrate due to exhaustion. I also spent a lot of my allotted naptimes worrying about not falling asleep fast enough. By the end of day two, I’d started getting a bit Macbeth – “Is this a dagger which I see before me?” – and tapped out to preserve my sanity. Dr Dickson says, “Dymaxion and uberman sleep patterns would endanger your health if tried for a longer period,” and adds that they’re usually reserved for military operations. I can see why.