Day 5

Holy cow, I've been at this for five days already? O_o

9:30 AM is definitely my weak point. I overslept again. Only for an hour or so, but still. Next time around I'm going to make sure I get up. That means, alarm clock on loud, lights on, blinds open, maybe even some heavy metal playing if i have to.

On the upside, all of the afternoon naps went perfectly. I woke up quick and could remember what I was doing just before. They were all rather refreshing too. I woke up from the last one right before my alarm and felt relaxed. It's beginning to feel like they're longer than a mere twenty minutes.

During the last nap I'm not sure if i even went to sleep at all, but I still felt good getting up afterwards. I lied down and felt comfortable. After a minute or two I tried the counting technique that I often use. (explained below) I got to the high thirties before I stopped and my mind started wandering. I was aware of the thoughts, but couldn't control them, or really see much of anything. I also had control over my physical body, I could swallow willingly and move slightly, which usually isn't possible when you're asleep.

The Counting Technique
I probably read this on Dream Views or someplace. Basically what you do is, of course, count. Like counting sheep. I like to inhale slowly, and think of the number as I exhale, picturing it in my mind being drawn as clearly as possible. The slower you count the better, at least that's what I think. I usually only get to about 20 or 25 before I can't go anymore.
It's odd, but you seriously can't continue counting after a certain point because your thoughts start to wander so much. And a lot of times when one of my random thoughts subsides I'll remember the counting again and pickup where I left off. On one specific occasion I remember counting, ...18, 19, 20, random thought... 21 ...random thought. It's almost scary how hard it becomes to stay focused.

I like the counting technique because it's the perfect amount of mental activity to get me to sleep. It's enough to keep my mind off of complex thoughts that would otherwise keep me awake, but it's simple enough that eventually my subconscious takes over.

I believe the counting technique is actually a method used to achieve a wake initiated lucid dream (WILD). It puts me to sleep though. =P

After your body is physically asleep it enters something called sleep paralysis. I think it is hypothesized that SP is necessary so people don't act out their dreams. Anyways, if you use one of the WILD techniques to keep yourself mentally awake while you fall into sleep paralysis, some crazy shit starts to happen. :) This is often when people see flashing colors, or even somewhat defined images. The scariest part is the vibrations. It feels like something is wrong with you, though it's perfectly safe and in fact normal. It's been described as feeling vibrations, a rushing wind, a falling sensation, or electricity running through the body.

Well I totally got off track there, but I think the point I was trying to make is that I seem to have been completely conscious during my last nap, but didn't feel any of the SP stuff. I'm thinking it might not be enough time for my body to achieve that, or maybe it won't happen at all since I'm cutting out the early stages of sleep.

Results from Day 5
Adherence to schedule: 7/10 - Overslept once, but the other naps felt wonderful.

Mental awareness: 9/10 - Did a lot of driving today. Didn't crash.

Physical energy: 8/10 - I wasn't particularly tired, I just didn't do much physical activity today.

Productivity: 6/10 - Grad parties. =P Good thing I've got all the time in the world.

Comments: Tomorrow I'm shooting for a "perfect" day, where each of the six naps fully restore me like those of this evening.