Listen to plenty of self-improvement experts, and you'll be easy to convince yourself that dozing is a secret weapon: rather than a sticking plaster following restless night, but a shortcut to enhanced cognition, improved mood and maybe quicker running times. Elite soccer players swear by it – and so are professional piano players, UFC champions and high-profile executives. However, if you lack a room for napping or a career that encourages frequent naps, is it *truly* sufficient advantages to a burst of shut-eye to merit the effort? Is there a reliable way to get to sleep quickly enough? Plus, is it possible to really guarantee you will arise feeling better, rather than worse?
Identifying Your Nap Motivation
“We can identify three key drivers for taking a nap among most adults,” says an expert sleep and circadian science specialist. “One is what we call recovery napping, which is the action you take when you’ve had a lack of sleep overnight. Another is prophylactic napping, which involves anticipating sleep loss coming up, for instance if you’re working overnight shifts. The third is called “appetitive drive”, which essentially boils down to wanting: there is an opportunity to sleep in the daytime, and it's pleasant to nap.”
The first thing to consider, so, is to examine your reason for napping. “Daytime sleep can be really helpful when nighttime sleep is being disrupted because of factors outside your control – for instance, if you’re a new parent, or you’re recovering from sickness or intense exercise,” says a sleep expert. “But if you’re napping as your sleep at night seems unreliable or broken, that can be an indicator your sleep drive is not at the level it needs to be. In those cases, daytime sleep can turn into part of the issue, instead of the fix. Utilize daytime sleep as a temporary measure to address immediate needs – the focus must always be a robust and regular sleep at night.”
The Optimal Nap Length
This means that naps must not be long enough to disrupt your sleep at night, and ideally are not recommended post-3 p.m. (based on when you sleep at night). How long is sensible? Guidelines are mixed. In one of the most referenced research regarding daytime sleep, experts noted that astronauts had a boost of up to 54% in vigilance and a 34% boost in cognitive performance following a nap of 26 minutes (in detail, this counted a six-minute long nodding-off period). “I recommend setting a timer for 20 to 30 minutes – the majority are asleep quickly,” says a specialist. “There is plenty of recommendations concerning the ideal number for sleeping, yet that often lead individuals to become more stressed than anything else – and the least helpful action you can possibly do when attempting to nod off is to stress over it.”
If you’re going to nap for a longer period, avoid the period between 45 and 60 minutes that induces sleep grogginess, that spaced-out feeling upon waking. “Studies would say it is preferable to take a longer nap lasting 60-90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” says the professor. “Forty-five minutes is enough time to send you into a deep sleep stage and you’re more likely to feel sluggish when you wake up – while if you extend it a bit longer to a full sleep cycle, you will probably to be completing a full cycle and will probably awaken feeling more refreshed. But if you're dozing for an hour and a half, it will affect how you sleep in the evening.”
Finding an Ideal Nap Environment
As for specific techniques, recommendations vary. Certain specialists suggest using the same protocol one would use to promote quality nighttime sleep: a silent space, a comfortable bed and as much darkness as is feasible. Alternatively, experts propose that one could merely snooze on a couch in the existing light is present – to prevent that groggy feeling and to preserve your bed as the space your mind associates with proper sleep. “Falling asleep is notoriously difficult to command,” says a specialist. “If you don’t have any sleepiness, it is more challenging to recline and basically instruct yourself to go to sleep. You need some sleep pressure available to bring the sleep on to begin with. For me, it's possible to take a nap in broad daylight and awaken on my own alarm-free, but what helps a lot of people is to anticipate an instance when they are naturally somewhat sleepy and then simply allow sleep to come.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and should your choices are limited – for instance, if attempting to squeeze in some shut-eye during a commute or in a soundproof office pod – there’s nothing wrong to use sleep aids. “In my work with professional sportspeople, I suggest that they avoid becoming accustomed to napping in bed, because they’re going to have|they will
