Listen to a few performance gurus, and you'll be tempting to believe that napping is a secret weapon: more than a band-aid following poor sleep, but a shortcut towards enhanced cognition, improved mood and possibly a faster 5k run time. Premier League footballers swear by it – and so are musicians, mixed martial artists & high-profile executives. But if you don't have a special sleep space or a job that encourages regular snoozing, is it *truly* sufficient advantages to a burst of shut-eye to merit the effort? Can you find a reliable way to fall asleep fast? And can you honestly promise you will get up feeling improved, not worse?
Understanding The Nap Motivation
“We can identify three main reasons for daytime sleep for many people,” explains a leading sleep science professor. “Firstly, there's termed compensatory napping, which is what you do after experiencing a lack of sleep the night before. Another is preparatory napping, where you are anticipating a sleep deficit ahead, for example when working on night shifts. Finally, there's “appetitive drive”, which basically is about wanting: you have a chance to nap in the daytime, and it's pleasant to indulge.”
The initial step to do, so, is consider why you want to nap. “Daytime sleep can be really helpful when nighttime sleep gets interrupted due to causes outside your control – such as, for a new parent, or if you are healing from sickness or heavy physical exertion,” states a sleep expert. “But if you’re napping because your night sleep feels fragile or unreliable, that is frequently an indicator your sleep drive is not where required. In such situations, daytime sleep can turn into part of the issue, not the solution. Utilize daytime sleep as a temporary measure for short-term problems – the main goal should still be a strong and predictable overnight rest.”
The Ideal Nap Length
Therefore that daytime sleep ought not to be long enough to disrupt your overnight rest, and preferably shouldn’t take place after about 3pm (depending on the time you sleep in the evening). What's a reasonable length? Recommendations vary. Among the most-cited studies regarding daytime sleep, researchers at Nasa discovered that astronauts showed improvements of over 50% in alertness and a 34% increase in performance after a 26-minute nap (in detail, this involved a six-minute long sleep onset time). “I recommend setting a timer for 20-30 minutes – many individuals doze off in under ten minutes,” notes a sleep expert. “There is plenty of guidance out there concerning the ideal number for sleeping, however, that can lead individuals to become more anxious than anything – and the worst thing one can do when trying to get to sleep is worry about it.”
If you’re going to nap for a longer period, bypass the 45 to 60 minute range that encourages that sluggish feeling, that spaced-out feeling upon waking. “The science suggests it’s better to have a longer nap of one to one and a half hours rather than a mid-length nap,” explains the expert. “45 minutes is enough time to plunge you into a deep sleep stage making it more likely to feel groggy when you wake up – whereas if you take it slightly longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you will probably to be completing a full cycle and will probably awaken feeling more refreshed. However, if you’re sleeping for a long period, it will affect your sleep later that night.”
Creating the Perfect Nap Environment
When it comes to specific techniques, suggestions are diverse. Some experts propose adopting similar routines one would use to foster restful sleep: a silent space, a comfortable bed and minimal light as possible. Alternatively, experts propose that one could simply nap on the sofa in whatever light is available – to avoid sleep inertia and to “protect” your sleeping quarters as the place you associate with proper sleep. “Falling asleep is notoriously difficult to command,” notes an expert. “If you don’t have any sleepiness, it becomes harder to recline and essentially tell yourself to fall asleep. There’s got to be some sleep pressure available to bring the sleep on in the first place. For me, it's possible to snooze in broad daylight and awaken on my own without an alarm, however, what assists a lot of people is to wait for an instance where they feel naturally feeling a bit drowsy and then simply allow sleep to come.”
It’s worth experimenting, and should your choices are limited – for example, when aiming to squeeze in 40 winks during a commute or in a soundproof office pod – it is perfectly fine to use some accessories. “When I’m working with footballers, I advise that they not rely on napping in bed, as they’re going to have|they will
