Worth persisting? Everyman3

[Endymion]

Hi all,

I have been reading the contributions to this group for some time now,
ever since becoming interested in the Everyman schedule as a feasible
alternative to hibernation. I have always had trouble getting up in
the mornings, and rarely have time to pursue my creative interests.

I am now 3 weeks on the Everyman3 program. Here is my schedule:

Core: 2-5am
Naps: 9am, 1pm, 6pm, 11pm (20mins each, though I set my alarm for
30mins)

The first week was really tough, and I did indeed feel like a zombie,
particularly leading up to my first nap at 9am - my drowsiness seemed
to peak at about 7am. The situation improved after that, and I also
found a better nap-spot, but still had some trouble falling asleep. My
approach was to reset my alarm according to when I felt like sleep was
within reach. I think that was not the best, as I constantly worried
about not nodding off.
My main problem is that each week I seem to have one big oversleep.
The first week went by without any real problems, I guess because my
motivation was extremely high. I fell asleep at my computer once or
twice, but not for long (~10mins).

This last weekend, however, I overslept on my core by 3.5hrs. I had
shifted it to 4am, with the intention of getting up at 7am. Silly, I
know, but I had time-sensitive work to get done.
Now, just a day later, I went to bed for my 11pm nap and woke up
10.5hrs later, at the alarm of my first nap. Not even sure what
happened. Following each of these oversleeps I have missed a nap.
These last few slipups have made me quite despondent and I'm
considering taking a break before trying again.

On the other hand, I was feeling less tired recently, I was dreaming
in most of my naps, and falling asleep more readily (by not worrying
about it and just getting up after 30mins even if I didn't lose
consciousness - as some have said, I found this in itself quite
mentally restorative).

I found that when I started the dreaming in my naps, it was more
tempting to snooze for a bit longer (couple of minutes, until my
backup alarm sounds - I use my iPod with in-ear eaphones to block out
sound and two phones). Fortunately I never overslept due to this, but
it's something to watch out for.

Other information, the big core oversleeps hit me after I'd played
squash, so I think I wasn't adapted enough to incorporate such intense
exercise. I'd recommend taking it easy during adaptation, although it
seems some people can get away with this.

Another factor inhibiting success might be shifting the naps by an
hour here and there. I don't think I was rigid enough for long enough.
After some promising signs of adaptation after about a week in, I
think I got too confident in my ability to succeed. I'd avoid this if
you're just starting out.

So I know most of this has been said before, but I was wondering if
you fine people have any advice to give on my core/nap schedule and
indeed whether I should persevere with the schedule for a few more
weeks, or should I give it a rest first.

Many thanks in advance for any tips.

[Gareth]

I have a poly friend who is on everyman and he had the same problem.
he said that he just needed to set a more effective alarm.(namely me
coming over to kick him and his gf awake, im on uberman).
my suggestion is get one of these: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQ-l5PlDa-k