Listen to enough performance gurus, making it simple to convince yourself that napping is a secret weapon: more than a quick fix after a bad night’s sleep, but a route to a better memory, better spirits and maybe a faster 5k run time. Elite athletes are all at it – as do concert pianists, fighters & media moguls. But if you lack a dedicated nap-room or employment that permits daytime sleep, can there *honestly* sufficient advantages to a short sleep for it to be worth the hassle? Does there exist a reliable way to nod off promptly? Plus, is it possible to honestly promise you will get up feeling refreshed, instead of groggy?
Understanding Your Reasons for Napping
“There are three key drivers for napping among most adults,” notes a professor of circadian rhythm specialist. “One is what we call compensatory napping, which is the action you take when you’ve had a lack of sleep the previous night. Another is preparatory napping, which involves pre-empting a sleep deficit ahead, for instance if you’re working graveyard shifts. Finally, there's “hedonic napping”, which basically is about wanting: you get an opportunity to sleep during the day, and it feels nice to indulge.”
The first thing to consider, then, is consider why you want to nap. “Naps can be really helpful when nighttime sleep gets interrupted because of factors you cannot change – for instance, if you’re caring for an infant, or recovering after being ill or intense exercise,” states a sleep specialist. “But if you nap since your sleep at night is unstable or poor, that can be a signal your need for sleep is not where it should be. In such situations, naps can become part of the problem, rather than the answer. Utilize daytime sleep for brief periods for short-term problems – the focus ought to remain a solid and consistent overnight rest.”
The Ideal Snooze Time
This means that napping shouldn’t be sufficiently lengthy to affect your sleep at night, and ideally should not occur after about 3pm (depending on when you retire in the evening). What's a reasonable length? Guidelines are mixed. Among the most-cited studies regarding daytime sleep, researchers at Nasa discovered that crew members showed a boost of up to 54% in vigilance plus a 34% rise in performance after a 26-minute nap (to be precise, this included a six-minute sleep onset time). “I’d suggest setting a timer for 20 to 30 minutes – the majority doze off in under ten minutes,” says a sleep expert. “There’s a lot of advice around regarding the optimal amount of minutes, but that tends to lead individuals to become more worried than anything – and the worst thing you can do when attempting to fall asleep is to be anxious.”
If you plan to sleep for longer, steer clear of the 45-60 minute window that promotes sleep grogginess, that spaced-out feeling when you awaken. “The science would say it's more effective to have an extended nap of one to one and a half hours than a medium-length one,” notes the expert. “Three-quarters of an hour is sufficient to put you into slow-wave sleep making it more likely to feel disoriented when you get up – while if you take it a bit longer to a full sleep cycle, you will probably to be completing a full cycle and are likely to get up feeling more rejuvenated. But if you nap for an hour and a half, it can influence how you sleep later that night.”
Creating the Perfect Snooze Setting
As for precise methods, suggestions are diverse. A few professionals suggest employing the same protocol one would use to promote a good night’s sleep: a silent space, a comfortable bed and maximum darkness as is feasible. Some advise that one could simply nap on the sofa in whatever light is available – to prevent that groggy feeling and to preserve your bed as the space your mind associates with *real* sleep. “Falling asleep is quite challenging to force,” says a sleep coach. “Lacking any drowsiness, it is tougher to lie down and essentially instruct yourself to nod off. You need a natural inclination there to bring the sleep on initially. Personally, I can often nap in full light and wake up naturally without a timer, however, what assists a lot of people is to wait for a time that they’re naturally feeling a bit drowsy and then simply allow sleep to come.”
It’s worth experimenting, and should options are scarce – such as, if you’re trying to squeeze in a quick nap during a commute or in a soundproof office pod – it's acceptable with bringing a few tools. “When I’m working with professional sportspeople, I suggest that they don’t get used to sleeping in their bed, as they’re going to have|they will
