Hear plenty of productivity gurus, and it’s easy to convince yourself that napping is a superpower: more than a sticking plaster following a bad night’s sleep, but a path to enhanced cognition, improved mood and maybe quicker running times. Professional athletes swear by it – along with musicians, fighters & high-profile executives. However, if you haven’t got a dedicated nap-room or a career that encourages regular snoozing, can there *honestly* sufficient advantages to a short sleep to merit the effort? Does there exist a surefire technique to fall asleep fast? Furthermore, can you really guarantee you will arise feeling refreshed, rather than worse?
Understanding The Nap Motivation
“Experts note three key drivers for napping for many people,” explains an expert sleep science researcher. “The first is known as recovery napping, which is the action you take after experiencing insufficient sleep the previous night. Another is prophylactic napping, when you are preparing for a sleep deficit in the future, such as during graveyard shifts. The third is called “pleasure-based sleep”, which essentially comes down to wanting: there is a moment to doze in the afternoon, and it's enjoyable to do it.”
The first thing to consider, therefore, is consider your reason for napping. “Napping can be truly beneficial when overnight rest is disturbed for reasons beyond your control – for instance, when you are caring for an infant, or if you are healing from sickness or intense exercise,” says a sleep physiologist. “Yet when you’re napping because your sleep at night is unstable or unreliable, that is frequently an indicator your need for sleep is not where required. Under those circumstances, napping can become part of the issue, not the solution. Utilize daytime sleep as a temporary measure for short-term problems – the priority ought to remain a strong and predictable night’s sleep.”
The Ideal Nap Duration
This means that naps must not be sufficiently lengthy to disrupt your nighttime sleep, and best should not occur post-3 p.m. (based on what time you go to bed at night). What duration is wise? Guidelines are mixed. In one of the most-cited studies regarding daytime sleep, space agency scientists noted that crew members showed improvements of over 50% in vigilance plus a 34% rise in cognitive performance after a 26-minute nap (in detail, this included an initial six-minute nodding-off period). “My advice is setting a timer for half an hour or less – most people doze off quickly,” says a sleep expert. “There is plenty of advice around concerning the ideal number of minutes, yet that often cause people to feel more stressed than anything – and the least helpful action you can do when trying to nod off is to be anxious.”
If you plan to sleep for longer, bypass the period between 45 and 60 minutes that induces that sluggish feeling, that disoriented sensation upon waking. “Research would say it’s better to opt for a lengthier snooze lasting 60-90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” explains the professor. “45 minutes is enough time to send you into a deep sleep stage making it more likely to feel disoriented upon awakening – however, if you take it a little longer to a full sleep cycle, you will probably to finish a natural sleep cycle and should get up feeling more alert. Though if you nap for an hour and a half, it can influence your sleep in the evening.”
Creating the Right Snooze Setting
As for specific techniques, advice differs. Certain specialists suggest adopting similar routines one would use to promote quality nighttime sleep: a peaceful area, a supportive surface and as much darkness as possible. Some advise that you should just doze in a chair in whatever light happens to be around – to avoid post-nap grogginess and to maintain your bed as the place your brain links with nighttime rest. “Falling asleep is notoriously difficult to will,” says a sleep coach. “If you don’t have the urge to sleep, it is tougher to get comfortable and essentially instruct yourself to nod off. There’s got to be some drive available to bring the sleep on in the first place. I can usually snooze in broad daylight and naturally wake up alarm-free, however, what assists most folks is to look for a time where they feel naturally feeling a bit drowsy and just gently allow sleep to come.”
It’s worth experimenting, and when options are scarce – for example, when aiming to fit in some shut-eye on a train or at the office – it is perfectly fine with bringing some accessories. “Coaching elite athletes, I recommend that they avoid becoming accustomed to their own bed for naps, as they’re going to have|they will
