The bad news: I gave up on polyphasic sleep on day 15. I just couldn't find it in me to keep going - and I still think it's mainly because of the crummy naps I was taking in the office bathroom.
The good news: this experience has shown me that I can survive with much less sleep than I thought I needed. This week, for example, I never slept more than 6 hours, probably getting more like an average of 4.5 hours. Friday night I slept just 8.5 hours, instead of the 10 or more hours I would have slept had I had a week like this a month ago, and I feel perfectly fine now on Saturday.
I've also gotten better at fighting through sleep deprivation and learned that 20-minute naps can be helpful. So while I didn't end up sticking with a polyphasic schedule, I'm happy that I tried it.
Someday, when I have a job with a more flexible schedule, I'll definitely try this again.
