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Two members of my family did well on a 5-and-2 or 5-and-3 schedule. They'd go to bed long after midnight, sleep five, wake up and do the day, then catch a couple of hours in the early evening. I read later that, when humans are sealed in a totally light-neutral environment for a period of weeks -- daylight all the time -- that's the sleep pattern they fall into.
I met two people who got by on four hours or less, but one of them was diagnosed hyperthyroid -- he had all the physical symptoms. Everybody's different, so I don't know that it's possible for _you_ to get by on 4.5 hours, unless you nap in the afternoon.
That said, ways of getting quality sleep include:
* Keeping warm; warm blankets, but also warm air in the bedroom. You lose a lot of head through your heat and face. In my experience, it's difficult maintain a sound sleep when cool; you wake up at the end of your first sleep cycle, then have trouble returning to sleep.
* A milk snack before bed. Nothing major. I find that a small scoop of ice cream make a huge difference for me in how deeply I sleep. You didn't ask about calories, though :-) !
You say you're not _overly_ tired on your new regimen. But if you're not actually refreshed when you get up, you're really not sleeping well and will be working at less than peak efficiency. And may well be cutting into your body's reserves, as others have said, by giving it less time for repair. Again, if you want to sleep less at night, I'd suggest supplementing with a nap in the late afternoon.
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