Listen to a few productivity podcasters, and you'll be tempting to convince yourself that a nap is a secret weapon: more than a band-aid after a bad night’s sleep, but a path towards a better memory, a brighter outlook and possibly a faster 5k run time. Elite footballers swear by it – along with professional piano players, mixed martial artists and high-profile executives. But if you haven’t got a special sleep space or a job that permits frequent naps, are there *really* enough benefits to a quick nap to justify the kerfuffle? Is there a dependable method to fall asleep fast? Plus, is it possible to honestly promise you’ll wake up feeling improved, not worse?
Identifying The Nap Motivation
“There are three main reasons for taking a nap among most adults,” says an expert sleep and circadian science specialist. “The first is what we call compensatory napping, that is what happens after experiencing insufficient sleep the previous night. The second is pre-emptive sleep, where you are anticipating insufficient sleep coming up, such as if you’re working graveyard shifts. The third is called “appetitive drive”, which simply comes down to desire: you have a chance to doze in the daytime, and it's pleasant to indulge.”
The initial step to consider, therefore, is consider your reason for napping. “Daytime sleep can be truly beneficial when night sleeping is disturbed for reasons beyond your control – such as, when you are caring for an infant, or recovering from sickness or heavy physical exertion,” explains a sleep physiologist. “However, if you’re napping since your night sleep is unstable or poor, that’s often a sign your sleep drive is not as strong as it needs to be. In such situations, daytime sleep can turn into a contributing factor, not the solution. Employ naps for brief periods for temporary issues – the focus ought to remain a robust and regular overnight rest.”
The Perfect Snooze Time
This implies that napping must not be long enough to affect your nighttime sleep, and best are not recommended post-3 p.m. (depending on what time you go to bed overnight). What duration is wise? Recommendations vary. From the most-cited studies about napping, researchers at Nasa found that crew members showed up to a 54% increase in vigilance and a 34% boost in task performance after a 26-minute nap (to be precise, this involved an initial six-minute falling asleep phase). “My advice is setting a timer for 20-30 minutes – the majority are asleep in under ten minutes,” explains a sleep coach. “There’s a lot of advice around concerning the perfect length for sleeping, but that tends to lead individuals to become more worried than anything else – and the most counterproductive thing you can possibly do while aiming to fall asleep is to be anxious.”
If you’re going to nap for a longer period, bypass the period between 45 and 60 minutes that promotes sleep grogginess, that spaced-out feeling when you wake. “Research suggests it's more effective to opt for a longer nap of 60 to 90 minutes than a medium-length one,” says the professor. “Three-quarters of an hour is sufficient to plunge you into slow-wave sleep and you’re more likely to feel groggy upon awakening – however, if you nap for a little longer to 60 or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to be on the end a full cycle and should wake up feeling more rejuvenated. But if you nap for a long period, it may impact your sleep later that night.”
Establishing an Ideal Sleep Space
When it comes to precise methods, recommendations vary. A few professionals suggest employing the same protocol you’d use to foster restful sleep: a peaceful area, a cozy bed and as much darkness as is feasible. Alternatively, experts propose that it's fine to simply nap in a chair with ambient lighting is present – to prevent sleep inertia and to “protect” your sleeping quarters as the environment your mind associates with *real* sleep. “Napping is notoriously difficult to will,” explains a specialist. “If you don’t have any drowsiness, it becomes harder to get comfortable and essentially instruct yourself to nod off. You need a natural inclination available to start the process initially. I can usually snooze in broad daylight and naturally wake up without an alarm, though, what aids a lot of people is to wait for a time that they’re naturally slightly tired and calmly allow sleep to come.”
It’s worth experimenting, and should options are scarce – such as, when aiming to fit in 40 winks on a train or in a soundproof office pod – it's acceptable with bringing sleep aids. “In my work with professional sportspeople, I suggest that they avoid becoming accustomed to sleeping in their bed, as they’re going to have|they will
