Starting a polyphasic sleep schedule

Previously, I maintained a polyphasic "Everyman" sleep schedule, where I slept for three hours at night, from 1-4am, and then took three 20 minute naps scattered throughout the day as needed, for a total of 4 hours of sleep. My nap times were fairly flexible, although there was some criticism from friends of my odd sleep habit.

I had to abandon that cycle during a cross country relocation. The trip took a month, and we stopped numerous times to visit friends and family over the holidays, which meant numerous social engagements that I could not politely escape to take a nap.

Once set up in my new home, I quickly and naturally fell into a biphasic pattern, sleeping from 1-5 am, and then taking a 1 hour nap around 5pm, for a total of 5 hours of sleep.

I am now about to attempt to go polyphasic again, with an attempt at the "Uberman Sleep Schedule." This entails 6 naps a day, 4 hours apart, for 20-30 minutes each, and no core chunk of sleep at all. I tried to start yesterday, turning my one hour nap into two twenty minute naps at 5 and 9pm. When I went to bed at 1am, though, I slept through my alarm and woke up on my own at 5am. Interesting because normally I need the alarm to get up at five, but disappointing because I failed to get up again at one. Although it isn't quite correct to say I slept through it. I set my cell phone alarm, which is much quieter, and in the interests of not disturbing my wife as I got up, I was getting up slowly and fell back asleep. Not quite the same thing, and I just need to be more assertive about getting out of bed when I try tonight.