Tune into a few self-improvement experts, making it simple to convince yourself that a nap is a secret weapon: not just a quick fix following poor sleep, but a shortcut to a better memory, improved mood and perhaps improved athletic performance. Elite footballers swear by it – and so are professional piano players, fighters & media moguls. Yet, when you lack a special sleep space or a career that encourages frequent naps, can there *honestly* sufficient advantages to a short sleep to justify the hassle? Is there a reliable way to get to sleep quickly enough? Plus, is it possible to truly ensure you will get up feeling improved, rather than worse?
Understanding The Reasons for Napping
“We can identify three primary motivations for daytime sleep among most adults,” explains a professor of sleep science researcher. “Firstly, there's what we call recovery napping, which is what you do when you’ve had poor sleep the previous night. The second is pre-emptive sleep, when you are preparing for a sleep deficit coming up, for example during overnight shifts. Finally, there's “hedonic napping”, which basically is about the wish: there is a moment to nap in the afternoon, and it feels nice to nap.”
The first thing to consider, therefore, is to think about your reason for napping. “Daytime sleep can be truly beneficial when nighttime sleep is disturbed for reasons beyond your control – such as, when you are a parent of a newborn, or recovering after being ill or heavy physical exertion,” explains a sleep physiologist. “But if you take a nap because your night sleep feels fragile or broken, that’s often a sign your sleep drive is not as strong as it should be. Under those circumstances, naps can become part of the issue, instead of the fix. Utilize daytime sleep as a temporary measure to address immediate needs – the focus should still be a strong and predictable sleep at night.”
The Ideal Nap Length
This implies that naps must not be sufficiently lengthy to disrupt your nighttime sleep, and best are not recommended post-3 p.m. (based on when you retire at night). What duration is wise? Advice differs. From the most-cited studies on the subject, experts found that crew members experienced improvements of over 50% in vigilance and a 34% boost in cognitive performance after a 26-minute nap (in detail, this involved a six-minute long sleep onset time). “I recommend setting a timer for 20 to 30 minutes – most people are asleep in under ten minutes,” says a sleep expert. “There is plenty of guidance out there about the perfect length of time, yet that often cause people to feel more anxious than anything else – and the most counterproductive thing you can do while aiming to nod off is to be anxious.”
If you plan to nap for a longer period, avoid the 45 to 60 minute range that induces sleep inertia, that foggy state when you awaken. “The science suggests it's more effective to take a lengthier snooze lasting 60-90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” says the sleep scientist. “Forty-five minutes is long enough to plunge you into slow-wave sleep making it more likely to feel sluggish when you get up – however, if you nap for a bit longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you will probably to be completing a natural sleep cycle and will probably awaken feeling more refreshed. However, if you're dozing for an hour and a half, it may impact the quality of your sleep in the evening.”
Creating an Ideal Snooze Setting
Regarding precise methods, suggestions are diverse. Some experts suggest using the same protocol you’d use to encourage restful sleep: a silent space, a comfortable bed and minimal light as you can manage. Others suggest that one could simply nap on the sofa in whatever light happens to be around – to avoid that groggy feeling and to preserve your bedroom as the place your brain links with proper sleep. “Sleep is quite challenging to force,” notes a sleep coach. “Lacking any sleepiness, it is tougher to get comfortable and essentially command yourself to fall asleep. You need some sleep pressure there to bring the sleep on initially. For me, it's possible to snooze in broad daylight and wake up naturally alarm-free, but what helps a lot of people is to anticipate an instance that they’re naturally slightly tired and just gently allow sleep to come.”
It’s worth experimenting, and should options are scarce – for example, if attempting to grab a quick nap on a train or at the office – there’s nothing wrong to employ some accessories. “Coaching elite athletes, I advise that they don’t get used to their own bed for naps, as they’re going to have|they will
