napping

Polyphasic sleep is an umbrella term that refers to a few different sleeping patterns that reduce sleep time to 2-5 hours daily. Each type of polyphasic sleep breaks up sleeping time into smaller parts throughout the day, allowing people to sleep less but feel alert. If you are dying for significantly extra time in a day without feeling sleep deprived or fatigued, this might be the right thing for you. Be warned, though--the transition period definitely isn't easy.

[edit] Steps

Are you ready? Prepare yourself: Polyphasic sleeping is not something to be taken lightly. Are you mentally prepared to go through 7-10 days of extreme fatigue, before your body adjusts to the new schedule?
1. Request time off. You will not be in shape to work, especially in the middle of the two-week adjustment period.
2. Decide on a schedule and specific nap times. With any type of sleep, our bodies like dependability. If you take every nap the same time every day for the same length of time every day, it will be easier for the body to adjust.
3. Write a list of physically-intensive "to do"s. You will suddenly have a lot more time than you are used to, and boredom brings sleep faster than anything else. Physically relaxing activities like reading will put you to sleep faster than you can realize it.
Steps for the Everyman schedule: You will only have to sleep for around 4 hours a day, and is considered to be much easier to adjust to than the Uberman schedule. The Everyman schedule is also a good idea if you like the idea of still "going to bed" every night.
1. Around 3 AM, sleep for 3 hours until 6 AM. This is your core sleep.
2. If you feel tired at 9 AM, take a 20 minute nap, if not, leave it.
3. Take a nap at 1 PM for 20 minutes.
4. Take a nap at 6 PM for 20 minutes.
5. Repeat every day.
Steps for the more effective but more difficult Uberman sleep schedule: The Uberman schedule consists of six 20-minute naps throughout the day, and has no core sleep. This means that the 20-minute naps are the longest stretch of sleep you will get, if you don't oversleep.
1. Take six 20-minute naps, each spaced 4 hours apart, every day.

[edit] Tips

With polyphasic sleep, the first few days to weeks your brain will struggle to fit in, but when it does, you will theoretically get the necessary aspects of sleep in the naps, leaving you feeling refreshed.

[edit] Warnings

There is little scientific research into polyphasic sleep and most information about it comes from independent researchers without peer review.
DO NOT OVERSLEEP, as it will fatigue you for at least the duration of 2 naps.
Do not skip naps, as it will also tire you.
Do not ingest caffeine.
DO NOT attempt this method if you have any type of a diagnosed epileptic disorder. Insufficient rest may cause discomfort/attacks.
It is not fully known if there are physical or psychological risks involved with this procedure. However, there are books written on the subject that state that it is not unhealthy, if it is done for 6 months, which is as far as the experiments go. If you perform this procedure for more than 6 months, you are moving into uncharted waters.
Children or younger teenagers should not attempt to try this as less sleep could severely hinder their development.
If you feel any bad side effects from polyphasic sleep, don't be afraid to talk to your doctor.
A personal correlation has been found with the length of time spent on this sleep cycle and a loss of creativity.