It's hard for me to say anything on this topic without resorting to hyperbole. I have a serious sleep disorder and in desperation, I tried a polyphasic experiment about 7 years ago.
I was determined to see it through no matter what the cost. The conclusion I came to was that it is a complete scam, perpetrated on life-hackers who are often, productivity hounds. Polyphasic sleep does not work; it does not improve productivity; it is not healthy. The only people who have slept like this on a consistent basis are soldiers or other people in extreme situations, where wakefulness is equivalent to survival and so the damage to your mind is a trade-off. If you are not fighting to stay alive, then you gain nothing by not following your body's natural rhythms, and you can seriously mess yourself up by experimenting with alternatives.
Then again, you're young so you'll probably recover. Probably.
I know a developer who tried polyphasic sleep. He said it worked as far as productivity goes, but his unwelcome side effect was that he would get sick very easily.
I was determined to see it through no matter what the cost. The conclusion I came to was that it is a complete scam, perpetrated on life-hackers who are often, productivity hounds. Polyphasic sleep does not work; it does not improve productivity; it is not healthy. The only people who have slept like this on a consistent basis are soldiers or other people in extreme situations, where wakefulness is equivalent to survival and so the damage to your mind is a trade-off. If you are not fighting to stay alive, then you gain nothing by not following your body's natural rhythms, and you can seriously mess yourself up by experimenting with alternatives.
Then again, you're young so you'll probably recover. Probably.