Tune into plenty of productivity gurus, and you'll be simple to think that napping is a superpower: rather than a sticking plaster after a bad night’s sleep, but a shortcut towards improved recall, improved mood and maybe a faster 5k run time. Professional footballers swear by it – as do professional piano players, mixed martial artists and business leaders. Yet, when you lack a special sleep space or employment that allows frequent naps, are there *really* sufficient advantages to a quick nap for it to be worth the effort? Can you find a surefire technique to get to sleep quickly enough? Plus, is it possible to truly ensure you’ll wake up feeling refreshed, not worse?
Identifying The Reasons for Napping
“We can identify three primary motivations for taking a nap in the adult population,” notes a leading sleep science researcher. “Firstly, there's known as recovery napping, that is the action you take following insufficient sleep the night before. Another is prophylactic napping, when you are pre-empting sleep loss ahead, such as when working on night shifts. The third is called “appetitive drive”, which simply is about wanting: you get a chance to sleep in the daytime, and it feels nice to nap.”
The primary task to undertake, therefore, is consider why you want to nap. “Naps can be really helpful when night sleeping is being disrupted because of factors you cannot change – such as, when you are a parent of a newborn, or recovering after being ill or strenuous activity,” says a sleep physiologist. “However, if you nap since your nighttime sleep feels fragile or unreliable, that can be an indicator your sleep drive is not where it should be. Under those circumstances, daytime sleep can turn into part of the problem, not the solution. Utilize daytime sleep for brief periods to address immediate needs – the priority should still be a solid and consistent overnight rest.”
The Ideal Nap Length
Therefore that napping must not be too extended to interfere with your nighttime sleep, and best shouldn’t take place in the late afternoon (contingent on the time you retire in the evening). What's a reasonable length? Recommendations vary. In one of the most-cited studies on the subject, space agency scientists found that space travelers had improvements of over 50% in alertness plus a 34% rise in performance post a 26-minute snooze (to be precise, this included a six-minute long falling asleep phase). “My advice is using an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – the majority doze off in under ten minutes,” explains a sleep coach. “There is plenty of advice around about the ideal number of minutes, however, that can make people feel more worried than anything else – and the least helpful action one can do when trying to fall asleep is to stress over it.”
If you’re going to take an extended nap, bypass the period between 45 and 60 minutes that induces sleep grogginess, that spaced-out feeling upon waking. “The science would say it is preferable to opt for a longer nap lasting 60-90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” says the sleep scientist. “45 minutes is enough time to put you into slow-wave sleep and it is more probable to feel disoriented when you get up – however, if you nap for slightly longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you’re likely to finish a natural sleep cycle and will probably get up feeling more refreshed. Though if you're dozing for a long period, it can influence your sleep that night.”
Establishing an Ideal Sleep Space
Regarding specific techniques, recommendations vary. Certain specialists propose adopting similar routines you’d use to foster a good night’s sleep: a peaceful area, a supportive surface and as much darkness as possible. Some advise that you should just doze in a chair in whatever light happens to be around – both to discourage post-nap grogginess and to preserve your sleeping quarters as the environment your mind associates with nighttime rest. “Falling asleep is quite challenging to force,” notes a sleep coach. “Lacking the urge to sleep, it is tougher to recline and practically tell yourself to nod off. There’s got to be some drive there to initiate sleep initially. I can usually nap during the day and wake up naturally without an alarm, however, what assists many individuals is to look for an instance when they are naturally slightly tired and calmly ease into sleep.”
Experimentation is key, and should options are scarce – for example, if you’re trying to fit in some shut-eye while traveling or at the office – it's acceptable with bringing sleep aids. “In my work with professional sportspeople, I advise that they avoid becoming accustomed to their own bed for naps, because they’re going to have|they will
