I am not good at monophasic sleeping anymore.

Just got back from a 5 night white-water canoe-camping trip with some friends. It would have inconvenienced the group to work around my afternoon nap and there is not much to do during the night, so I synced my schedule with the others and switched to monophasic sleeping. I was surprised to find that I had some real trouble moving back to a monophasic pattern. Although I was dead tired each night from a combination of hard paddling, very cold water (there was still snow on the ground in places), and several days of grey drizzle - I did not sleep through the night. I would go to sleep early (about 9:30 or 10:00) I would wake up at about 2:30 or 3:00 am and lightly drowze or read for about two hours, falling asleep in the early pre-dawn. I would wake up again, well after everyone else, around 7:00 am. So I was sleeping for a total of about 7 or 8 hours per day.


When I got back home, I tried to take my afternoon nap, but did not really sleep. I set my alarm that evening to go back to tri-phasic sleep. I awoke at my regular time of 12:30 am, but had a hard time waking all the way up. My vivid dream of navigating white-water conditions continued even as I was turning of my alarm and getting dressed. This half-awake, half-dream state was intense and bizarre. After 5 or so minutes of this I made the assumption that my mind was not done processing muscle memory of the trip, I went back to sleep, and slept soundly through the night waking at about 8:00 am.


I took a full 90 minute nap yesterday afternoon, and had no problem waking from my evening nap.


It looks like I am back into my normal triphasic schedule again.