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 definitely dreaming tend to take 7-10 minutes from lying down to getting up, which is sort of worrisome, since 6 of those means at most an hour of REM. I'm not sure whether the right response is more naps or trying to lengthen the naps.
I tried to recruit some people, but nothing panned out. Do you have specific people lined up? Where do you live?
I have friends I expect I can get to help. Worst comes to worst, I'm considering the possibility of hiring day laborers, but I anticipate quality control issues that make me reluctant to take that approach. I'm living in Austin.
Oh, another thing I found helpful was a little device that goes on your ear, which beeps at you if your head tilts forward.
Did you make it or buy it somewhere?
I believe I bought it from amazon. It's for people driving long distances.
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.