Tune into enough productivity experts, and you'll be easy to believe that napping is a powerful tool: not just a sticking plaster after poor sleep, but a route towards improved recall, better spirits and maybe quicker running times. Premier League footballers are all at it – as do concert pianists, mixed martial artists and media moguls. Yet, when you don't have a special sleep space or a job that allows daytime sleep, is it *truly* enough benefits to a short sleep to justify the effort? Is there a dependable method to nod off promptly? Plus, is it possible to truly ensure you’ll wake up feeling refreshed, rather than worse?
Exploring Your Drive to Snooze
“There are three primary motivations for taking a nap among most adults,” notes a leading sleep and circadian science specialist. “One is termed compensatory napping, which is what you do following insufficient sleep overnight. Another is prophylactic napping, where you are preparing for sleep loss coming up, for instance during overnight shifts. Finally, there's “appetitive drive”, which essentially comes down to wanting: you have an opportunity to sleep in the daytime, and it's pleasant to indulge.”
The first thing to consider, so, is consider your reason for napping. “Naps can be really helpful when overnight rest gets interrupted for reasons outside your control – such as, for a parent of a newborn, or if you are healing after being ill or strenuous activity,” explains a sleep physiologist. “However, if you’re napping since your night sleep is unstable or broken, that can be a sign your need for sleep is not at the level it should be. In those cases, napping can become a contributing factor, instead of the fix. Utilize daytime sleep for brief periods to address immediate needs – the focus ought to remain a robust and regular sleep at night.”
The Perfect Nap Length
This means that naps ought not to be long enough to interfere with your sleep at night, and best should not occur post-3 p.m. (contingent on what time you retire in the evening). What duration is wise? Recommendations vary. Among a prominent study regarding daytime sleep, experts noted that space travelers experienced a boost of up to 54% in vigilance plus a 34% rise in cognitive performance after a 26-minute nap (technically, this included a six-minute long nodding-off period). “My advice is setting a timer for 20-30 minutes – most people fall asleep quickly,” says a sleep coach. “There is plenty of advice around regarding the perfect length of time, yet that often cause people to feel more worried above all – and the worst thing you can possibly do while aiming to fall asleep is to stress over it.”
If you plan to take an extended nap, bypass the period between 45 and 60 minutes that promotes that sluggish feeling, that foggy state when you awaken. “Studies would say it’s better to opt for a longer nap lasting 60-90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” explains the professor. “45 minutes is long enough to put you into slow-wave sleep making it more likely to feel disoriented upon awakening – however, if you nap for slightly longer to 60 or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to be completing of a sleep cycle and should awaken feeling more refreshed. However, if you're dozing for an hour and a half, it may impact how you sleep in the evening.”
Creating the Perfect Snooze Setting
As for specific techniques, recommendations vary. Some experts recommend using the same protocol you use to foster restful sleep: a peaceful area, a comfortable bed and as much darkness as you can manage. Others suggest that you should simply nap in a chair with ambient lighting is available – both to discourage that groggy feeling and to “protect” your sleeping quarters as the place your mind associates with proper sleep. “Sleep is something really tricky to will,” explains a sleep coach. “Without any drowsiness, it is tougher to get comfortable and essentially tell yourself to nod off. You need some drive present to start the process to begin with. I can usually snooze in full light and wake up naturally alarm-free, but what helps many individuals is to anticipate a moment that they’re naturally slightly tired and then simply ease into sleep.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and if options are scarce – for instance, if you’re trying to squeeze in a quick nap during a commute or in a soundproof office pod – there’s nothing wrong to use a few tools. “Coaching elite athletes, I suggest that they not rely on their own bed for naps, since they’re going to have|they will
