Tune into enough performance experts, making it simple to convince yourself that dozing is a powerful tool: more than a band-aid after a bad night’s sleep, but a shortcut towards improved recall, improved mood and maybe a faster 5k run time. Premier League soccer players are all at it – and so are musicians, UFC champions & media moguls. But if you lack a special sleep space or a job that encourages frequent naps, is it *truly* enough benefits to a quick nap for it to be worth the effort? Does there exist a reliable way to fall asleep fast? Furthermore, can you truly ensure you will arise feeling improved, not worse?
Exploring Your Reasons for Napping
“There are three main reasons for napping for many people,” explains an expert sleep and circadian science professor. “Firstly, there's what we call compensatory napping, that is what you do when you’ve had a lack of sleep the night before. Secondly, there's prophylactic napping, when you are preparing for insufficient sleep ahead, for instance during on night shifts. The third reason is “appetitive drive”, which essentially boils down to wanting: you get an opportunity to nap in the afternoon, and it feels nice to indulge.”
The first thing to do, therefore, is to think about your reason for napping. “Napping can be genuinely useful when nighttime sleep gets interrupted because of factors outside your control – for example, if you’re a new parent, or you’re recovering after being ill or heavy physical exertion,” explains a sleep expert. “However, if you take a nap as your sleep at night seems unreliable or broken, that can be an indicator your body's sleep pressure is not at the level it needs to be. In those cases, naps can become a contributing factor, rather than the answer. Use napping as a short-term solution for short-term problems – the main goal ought to remain a robust and regular night’s sleep.”
The Ideal Nap Length
This implies that daytime sleep must not be sufficiently lengthy to disrupt your overnight rest, and preferably should not occur after about 3pm (depending on what time you retire in the evening). What duration is wise? Guidelines are mixed. Among the most referenced research regarding daytime sleep, space agency scientists noted that space travelers had improvements of over 50% in attentiveness and a 34% increase in performance after a 26-minute nap (to be precise, this involved a six-minute falling asleep phase). “I’d suggest setting a timer for half an hour or less – most people doze off within 10 minutes,” says a specialist. “There is plenty of guidance out there regarding the ideal number of minutes, however, that can cause people to feel more stressed above all – and the most counterproductive thing you can do while aiming to get to sleep is worry about it.”
Should you decide to take an extended nap, bypass the period between 45 and 60 minutes that encourages sleep grogginess, that disoriented sensation when you wake. “Research indicates it is preferable to have an extended nap of 60 to 90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” explains the professor. “Three-quarters of an hour is enough time to send you into a deep sleep stage and you’re more likely to feel groggy upon awakening – while if you take it a little longer to an hour or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to be on the end of a sleep cycle and are likely to awaken feeling more refreshed. Though if you're dozing for a long period, it will affect the quality of your sleep that night.”
Finding an Ideal Sleep Space
When it comes to specific techniques, suggestions are diverse. Certain specialists propose adopting comparable habits you use to encourage restful sleep: a peaceful area, a supportive surface and minimal light as is feasible. Some advise that you should just doze on the sofa in the existing light happens to be around – to avoid that groggy feeling and to “protect” your bed as the place your mind associates with *real* sleep. “Sleep is quite challenging to will,” says a specialist. “Without the urge to sleep, it is more challenging to recline and essentially tell yourself to nod off. There must be some drive available to bring the sleep on in the first place. Personally, I can often snooze in full light and awaken on my own without an alarm, however, what assists many individuals is to wait for an instance where they feel naturally somewhat sleepy and then simply allow sleep to come.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and should your choices are limited – for example, when aiming to grab some shut-eye on a train or in a soundproof office pod – there’s nothing wrong to employ a few tools. “When I’m working with elite athletes, I advise that they don’t get used to sleeping in their bed, since they’re going to have|they will
