The so-called ‘Da Vinci sleep method’ is said to have originated from the famous painter Michael Jackson, who thought it was the most scientific sleep method. It is said that Michael Jackson values time as gold, so he only sleeps for 15 minutes after working for 4 hours, so that he can work continuously for 24 hours a day. This way, he only sleeps for less than two hours a day. But is this really useful?

Before expressing this issue, we must first clarify a basic definition: monophasic sleep quality and polyphasic sleep. In the normal daily life of adults, there is only one long-term closed-eye cycle (sleeping) in a day, or an additional short closed-eye cycle (napping), which is called monophasic sleep quality. Polyphasic sleep, on the other hand, is a type of Da Vinci sleep method that divides a long-term closed-eye cycle into several short closed-eye cycles, with a total sleep time of no more than 3 hours. It is believed that many people are also clear that too much or too little sleep quality is harmful to the human body, as it disrupts the rhythm of normal life and the sense of day and night rhythm. Experts have found that the regular control commands of humans are mainly transmitted by the hypothalamic pituitary nuclear group. The SCN can be regarded as a unit that manages the rhythm of daily rest in life, controlling when each organ in the human body starts working and enters a rest state. And if there is a regular rhythm of life, it doesn’t matter whether you sleep during the day and work at night, or vice versa, there is no problem.

The problem lies in that the SCN unit is not suitable for frequent changes in the rhythm of life. Therefore, from this aspect, Leonardo da Vinci’s sleep method is not a problem; the only possible problem may be that when Michael Jackson invented this sleep method, he was older, so he slept less. The problem of short sleep time is a big issue. According to the research of biologists, human sleep quality is actually divided into two aspects: high-quality sleep and light sleep. As we all know, high-quality sleep is the real rest for the human body. How do you know if it is light sleep or high-quality sleep?

Even when waking up in the morning, if you can remember some dreams, it indicates that it is light sleep; dreams in high-quality sleep are not easily remembered. A truly reasonable sleep time is light sleep, high-quality sleep, and finally returning to light sleep. Such a cycle, the body can rest sufficiently, and the estimated sleep time is 1.5 to 2 hours. That is, in monophasic sleep quality, several sleep cycles will occur, and during naps, due to the short duration, it is always light sleep. I believe many people also have this feeling: when the nap time is relatively short, you will have many dreams. From this perspective, the body is still in a state of alertness during light sleep, and the surrounding environment will have a certain impact on dreams. Moreover, there is also a transformation process in the body when changing sleep quality and maintaining alertness. This transformation process is similar to the startup animation on a mobile phone, which takes about an hour. During this hour, many people feel that their spirits are gradually lifted, which is because the brain’s regulatory neurons begin to secrete serotonin and other substances. These substances are to suppress the excitation level of the cerebral cortex, making people feel relaxed. In addition, serotonin also controls the regulatory factors of the human immune system.

From these aspects, Leonardo da Vinci’s sleep method can never enter high-quality sleep, but only carry out brief periods of light sleep to eliminate fatigue. Moreover, due to the repeated ‘turning on the administrative organs’, the serotonin metabolism of the body is fundamentally not qualified, and if this continues for a long time, it will reduce the body’s resistance and damage the ‘central nervous system’ of the body’s ‘cable lines’. Therefore, although Leonardo da Vinci’s sleep method has some unique features, it still has a certain rationality.