does anyone know if you have to sleep for 5 hours straight or just a total of 5 hours?
The technique recommends a range of 3 to 5 hours, but it's not a hard and fixed rule. Everyone varies and it also depends on how tired you are when initially going to sleep. So, it could be as little as an hour or even longer than 5 hours. That's why a daytime nap can sometimes work great.
The key to remember is that you are trying to find that 'window' where your physical body is somewhat rested, but still relaxed and tired enough to slip back into restorative sleep, but without the overpowering pull it usually has over your conscious awareness to drag it down into sleep along with it.
When the physical falls asleep you may consciously observe this or you may fall asleep briefly and either gain awareness within a LD or come aware in Sleep Paralysis or find yourself in MABA (Mind Awake/Body Asleep).
The other variable is how long do you stay awake before your attempt? I find that I need at least 20 minutes and 30 to 45 minutes is probably a better target.
Hope that clarifies things some.
I know there are times when I go to bed knowing that I am only going to get like four hours asleep before I have to get up. Amazingly I start dreaming after an hour to two hours, and by the time I have to get up I'm usually in a very intense dream. Of course this doesn't happen often, I usually don't sleep only four hours, but it's interesting how body prepares itself for not getting enough sleep and thus has a faster sleep cycle.
Quote from: jmasterx on June 29, 2014, 18:05:53does anyone know if you have to sleep for 5 hours straight or just a total of 5 hours?
I had already good results with only 3 hours of sleep. But it works well for me. within the 3-4-5 window anyway.