I've made several stabs at uberman. I once made it 9 days, and thought I was on the downslope, but got cocky and screwed it up.
After setting up a really loud alarm on the computer that I had to get up to turn off, the main problem was lack of willpower. At a certain point I would just stop caring enough to continue.
The changes in the way you sleep are quite real and tangible, though. I had 20 minute naps where I would dream bizarre states of mind, where I would feel like I was going insane, only to wake up completely sane and refreshed, as though I had slept eight hours.
In the end I came to the same conclusion as you, that to do this I needed two helpers working in shifts. I tried to recruit some people, but nothing panned out. Do you have specific people lined up? Where do you live?
I'm also single, live alone, and have a weekly social outlet. Very similar experience overall.
Oh, another thing I found helpful was a little device that goes on your ear, which beeps at you if your head tilts forward.
I had 20 minute naps where I would dream bizarre states of mind, where I would feel like I was going insane, only to wake up completely sane and refreshed, as though I had slept eight hours.
My dreams so far have been odd/boring. A number of times I got the impression I was having some sort of REM daydream. The first one that was unambiguously a dream that I could recall was, oddly enough, a nightmare about falling asleep. I also had a dream with no visual input, which I think has been repeated a couple of times.
The naps I wake up from where I was defini...
My friend and I are starting the Uberman sleep schedule (six 20-minute naps spread evenly throughout each day) tonight. Have other lesswrongians experimented with alternate sleep schedules? Are any of you qualified medical experts who can give input or advice? Success stories and failure stories would both be appreciated, and I'll keep you guys posted on our progress.