Hear enough self-improvement experts, and you'll be tempting to convince yourself that napping is a secret weapon: rather than a sticking plaster following a bad night’s sleep, but a route towards enhanced cognition, better spirits and maybe improved athletic performance. Elite athletes are all at it – as do professional piano players, mixed martial artists & media moguls. However, if you lack a special sleep space or employment that permits daytime sleep, is it *truly* sufficient advantages to a burst of shut-eye to merit the kerfuffle? Is there a reliable way to fall asleep fast? And can you really guarantee you will get up feeling refreshed, rather than worse?
Understanding The Drive to Snooze
“We can identify three main reasons for taking a nap for many people,” notes a leading sleep science specialist. “One is what we call make-up sleep, which is the action you take after experiencing a lack of sleep the night before. Secondly, there's preparatory napping, where you are preparing for insufficient sleep coming up, for example if you’re working overnight shifts. The third reason is “pleasure-based sleep”, which basically boils down to wanting: there is an opportunity to sleep in the daytime, and it's pleasant to do it.”
The first thing to consider, then, is to examine why you want to nap. “Napping can be really helpful when night sleeping is being disrupted due to causes beyond your control – for instance, for a new parent, or you’re recovering from illness or intense exercise,” says a sleep expert. “However, if you nap since your nighttime sleep is unstable or poor, that is frequently an indicator your sleep drive is not as strong as it needs to be. In such situations, naps can become a contributing factor, not the solution. Utilize daytime sleep as a short-term solution for temporary issues – the main goal must always be a robust and regular night’s sleep.”
The Optimal Nap Length
Therefore that napping ought not to be too extended to interfere with your nighttime sleep, and preferably are not recommended post-3 p.m. (contingent on when you retire overnight). What duration is wise? Advice differs. In one of the most referenced research about napping, space agency scientists found that crew members had improvements of over 50% in attentiveness plus a 34% rise in performance after a 26-minute nap (in detail, this counted an initial six-minute falling asleep phase). “I recommend using an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – many individuals doze off within 10 minutes,” notes a sleep coach. “There is plenty of recommendations concerning the ideal number for sleeping, but that tends to cause people to feel more worried above all – and the most counterproductive thing you can possibly do when trying to nod off is worry about it.”
Should you decide to sleep for longer, avoid the period between 45 and 60 minutes that induces sleep grogginess, that spaced-out feeling when you wake. “Studies would say it is preferable to opt for an extended nap lasting 60-90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” notes the professor. “Three-quarters of an hour is sufficient to plunge you into a deep sleep stage and it is more probable to feel groggy when you wake up – while if you extend it a little longer to an hour or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to finish of a sleep cycle and will probably wake up feeling more rejuvenated. But if you're dozing for a long period, it may impact how you sleep in the evening.”
Establishing the Right Nap Environment
When it comes to exact methodologies, recommendations vary. Certain specialists recommend using comparable habits you’d use to promote a good night’s sleep: a peaceful area, a supportive surface and maximum darkness as possible. Others suggest that one could merely snooze on a couch with ambient lighting is available – to avoid sleep inertia and to preserve your bed as the space you associate with proper sleep. “Falling asleep is something really tricky to force,” explains an expert. “Lacking the urge to sleep, it becomes harder to recline and basically command yourself to nod off. There must be a natural inclination available to start the process in the first place. Personally, I can often snooze in full light and naturally wake up alarm-free, though, what aids a lot of people is to anticipate an instance that they’re naturally slightly tired and calmly relax into it.”
Experimentation is key, and if you have few options – for example, if attempting to grab some shut-eye during a commute or in a work pod – there’s nothing wrong with bringing some accessories. “In my work with elite athletes, I suggest that they don’t get used to sleeping in their bed, because they’re going to have|they will
