Listen to plenty of self-improvement gurus, making it easy to convince yourself that a nap is a secret weapon: not just a sticking plaster following poor sleep, but a route towards a better memory, a brighter outlook and maybe quicker running times. Professional athletes do it regularly – along with professional piano players, UFC champions & high-profile executives. But if you haven’t got a special sleep space or a career that encourages regular snoozing, can there *honestly* worthwhile perks to a quick nap to merit the kerfuffle? Is there a reliable way to nod off promptly? And can you honestly promise you will get up feeling refreshed, instead of groggy?
Identifying The Reasons for Napping
“Experts note three main reasons for taking a nap among most adults,” explains a professor of sleep and circadian science professor. “Firstly, there's what we call recovery napping, that is what happens when you’ve had insufficient sleep the night before. The second is prophylactic napping, where you are pre-empting a sleep deficit ahead, such as if you’re working overnight shifts. The third is called “hedonic napping”, which basically is about the wish: there is a moment to doze in the afternoon, and it feels nice to indulge.”
The first thing to undertake, so, is to think about why you want to nap. “Naps can be really helpful when nighttime sleep is disturbed because of factors you cannot change – for instance, for caring for an infant, or if you are healing from illness or heavy physical exertion,” says a sleep physiologist. “But if you take a nap since your night sleep seems unreliable or broken, that’s often an indicator your sleep drive is not at the level it needs to be. In such situations, daytime sleep can turn into a contributing factor, rather than the answer. Use napping for brief periods to address immediate needs – the main goal ought to remain a solid and consistent overnight rest.”
The Perfect Nap Duration
Therefore that napping shouldn’t be long enough to interfere with your sleep at night, and best shouldn’t take place post-3 p.m. (based on when you retire at night). What duration is wise? Advice differs. From the most-cited studies regarding daytime sleep, researchers at Nasa noted that crew members showed improvements of over 50% in vigilance plus a 34% rise in cognitive performance after a 26-minute nap (to be precise, this counted an initial six-minute nodding-off period). “I’d suggest using an alarm for 20-30 minutes – most people are asleep within 10 minutes,” says a sleep expert. “There is plenty of advice around concerning the perfect length of minutes, however, that can make people feel more worried than anything else – and the most counterproductive thing you can possibly do while aiming to get to sleep is to be anxious.”
Should you decide to take an extended nap, bypass the 45-60 minute window that promotes sleep inertia, that disoriented sensation when you wake. “Studies suggests it is preferable to opt for an extended nap of one to one and a half hours than a medium-length one,” explains the sleep scientist. “Three-quarters of an hour is sufficient to put you into deep sleep making it more likely to feel disoriented upon awakening – however, if you nap for a little longer to a full sleep cycle, it's likely you'll to be on the end a natural sleep cycle and will probably get up feeling more rejuvenated. However, if you're dozing for a long period, it will affect how you sleep in the evening.”
Finding the Perfect Snooze Setting
When it comes to precise methods, advice differs. Some experts recommend adopting similar routines one would use to encourage a good night’s sleep: a silent space, a comfortable bed and maximum darkness as you can manage. Alternatively, experts propose that it's fine to merely snooze on a couch with ambient lighting is available – to prevent sleep inertia and to maintain your sleeping quarters as the place you associate with *real* sleep. “Falling asleep is notoriously difficult to force,” says a specialist. “Lacking any drowsiness, it is more challenging to get comfortable and basically command yourself to go to sleep. There must be a natural inclination present to bring the sleep on in the first place. Personally, I can often nap in full light and awaken on my own alarm-free, but what helps a lot of people is to anticipate a time that they’re naturally somewhat sleepy and calmly relax into it.”
Experimentation is key, and when you have few options – for instance, if you’re trying to grab a quick nap during a commute or in a work pod – it is perfectly fine to use a few tools. “Coaching elite athletes, I suggest that they avoid becoming accustomed to their own bed for naps, as they’re going to have|they will
