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We compare monophasic, biphasic and polyphasic schedules (including Everyman, Dymaxion and Uberman) and help you work out which fits your life.
6 Min Read | By Brett Janes
Last Modified 30 April 2026 First Added 20 December 2019
p>Most of us sleep in one block overnight. It’s the default in the UK, lining up with work patterns and our internal body clock. But it isn’t the only way to sleep. Some people split the rest into two sessions a day, while others spread it across short naps over 24 hours.
In this guide, we walk through three categories of sleep schedule: monophasic, biphasic and polyphasic, and the well-known polyphasic patterns within them: the Everyman, Dymaxion and Uberman.
There are three main ways to structure a 24-hour day’s sleep:
Most people use a monophasic schedule. According to the National Sleep Foundation, many mammals sleep in multiple bouts across 24 hours, suggesting our single overnight sleep is shaped as much by modern life as by biology.
If you’re new to how sleep itself works, our guide to the four stages of sleep covers the biology underneath every schedule.
Monophasic sleep is one continuous block of 6-9 hours, usually overnight. It’s the standard pattern in the UK and most of the Western world, and it works well alongside a 9-5 schedule.
The main upside is convenience. You sleep when most other people sleep, you spend evenings and mornings with the people in your life, and there’s a low risk of sleep deprivation as long as you keep to a sensible bedtime.
The downside is rigidity. If you work nights, do shift work or struggle to settle in one go, monophasic sleep can feel like a poor fit. Some research also suggests that humans may have historically slept in two phases, which neatly leads to the next option.
Biphasic sleep splits your day into two rest periods. The classic version is around 5-6 hours overnight plus a 1-2 hour nap in the early afternoon, the pattern you’ll recognise as a Mediterranean siesta.
Historian Roger Ekirch’s 2001 paper, later expanded into At Day’s Close: Night in Times Past, argues that pre-industrial Europeans slept biphasically as standard, with a “first sleep” and “second sleep” separated by an hour or two of waking activity in the night.
For some people, biphasic sleep brings real benefits. A regular short nap can boost alertness and support memory. For insomnia sufferers, however, daytime sleep can make nighttime sleep harder. So, biphasic sleep schedules are only recommended for those with healthy sleep habits and who have no trouble sleeping at night as a result of 2 hours of sleep in the afternoon.
Polyphasic sleep breaks rest into three or more sessions a day. It’s the most extreme departure from a standard schedule and the most demanding to live with.
People try polyphasic sleep for one of two reasons. The first is to free up waking hours for work, study or creative projects. The second is a genuine biological need, as some people simply require less sleep than average.
Three polyphasic patterns turn up most often: Everyman, Dymaxion and Uberman. Note, these schedules are largely internet-originated experiments, not clinical models:
The Everyman is the gentlest polyphasic schedule. It runs a 3-3.5-hour core sleep period plus three 20-minute naps spread throughout the day, totalling around 4-5 hours of sleep.
A typical Everyman day looks like this:
The big upside is more waking hours, with the trade-off of long stretches between naps. It’s the polyphasic schedule most people start with because the core sleep block makes it easier to adapt to. The risk is that the total of 4-5 hours can leave you sleep-deprived if your body needs more.
The Dymaxion is the most aggressive schedule. Just 2 hours of sleep a day, made up of four 30-minute naps every 6 hours.
A Dymaxion day:
Dymaxion might seem suited to genuine short sleepers, but even they typically need more sleep than it allows. Most people who try it end up chronically tired. It’s also the hardest schedule to fit around a normal life.
The Uberman is six to eight 20-minute naps, evenly spaced throughout the day, totalling 2-3 hours. There’s no main sleep block at all.
A typical Uberman day:
Please note that there is no strong scientific evidence that polyphasic schedules are safe or sustainable for most people. It’s almost impossible to combine with social life, family commitments or any work that doesn’t allow nap breaks at fixed times.
There’s no single best schedule. The right one depends on your work, your biology and the people you live with. A few honest pointers:
Whichever schedule you land on, getting through the full stages of sleep (light NREM, deep NREM and REM) is what makes sleep restorative. Our Sleep Cycle Calculator can help you time your blocks so you wake up at the end of a cycle rather than in the middle of a deep sleep.
See all articles by Brett Janes
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