Listen to plenty of performance experts, and it’s simple to convince yourself that napping is a superpower: more than a quick fix after a bad night’s sleep, but a path towards improved recall, a brighter outlook and maybe quicker running times. Professional athletes are all at it – as do concert pianists, fighters & business leaders. Yet, when you don't have a dedicated nap-room or a career that encourages regular snoozing, can there *honestly* worthwhile perks to a burst of shut-eye to justify the hassle? Is there a reliable way to nod off promptly? Plus, is it possible to honestly promise you will arise feeling refreshed, instead of groggy?
Exploring Your Nap Motivation
“There are three primary motivations for daytime sleep for many people,” explains a leading sleep and circadian science professor. “The first is known as make-up sleep, essentially what you do when you’ve had poor sleep the previous night. The second is preparatory napping, where you are preparing for a sleep deficit in the future, such as when working overnight shifts. The third reason is “hedonic napping”, which basically boils down to desire: there is a moment to sleep during the day, and it's enjoyable to indulge.”
The initial step to consider, then, is to think about your reason for napping. “Napping can be genuinely useful when overnight rest gets interrupted because of factors you cannot change – such as, for caring for an infant, or recovering from illness or intense exercise,” states a sleep specialist. “Yet when you’re napping since your nighttime sleep seems unreliable or poor, that’s often an indicator your need for sleep is not as strong as required. Under those circumstances, daytime sleep can turn into part of the problem, not the solution. Use napping for brief periods for short-term problems – the focus ought to remain a robust and regular night’s sleep.”
The Perfect Nap Duration
Therefore that daytime sleep shouldn’t be too extended to disrupt your sleep at night, and best shouldn’t take place post-3 p.m. (contingent on the time you go to bed overnight). How long is sensible? Advice differs. In one of the most-cited studies about napping, researchers at Nasa discovered that astronauts experienced a boost of up to 54% in attentiveness and a 34% increase in performance following a nap of 26 minutes (in detail, this included an initial six-minute nodding-off period). “I’d suggest setting a timer for half an hour or less – many individuals fall asleep within 10 minutes,” notes a sleep coach. “You'll find much guidance out there concerning the optimal amount for sleeping, yet that often make people feel more stressed than anything – and the worst thing you can do when attempting to nod off is worry about it.”
If you plan to sleep for longer, steer clear of the period between 45 and 60 minutes that induces that sluggish feeling, that foggy state when you awaken. “Studies indicates it's more effective to have a lengthier snooze lasting 60-90 minutes than a medium-length one,” notes the expert. “Three-quarters of an hour is sufficient to send you into deep sleep and you’re more likely to feel groggy when you get up – however, if you take it slightly longer to 60 or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to be on the end a full cycle and are likely to wake up feeling more rejuvenated. Though if you're dozing for an hour and a half, it may impact how you sleep that night.”
Creating the Perfect Nap Environment
When it comes to exact methodologies, suggestions are diverse. Certain specialists recommend employing comparable habits you’d use to encourage quality nighttime sleep: a peaceful area, a supportive surface and minimal light as you can manage. Alternatively, experts propose that you should merely snooze in a chair in the existing light is available – to prevent that groggy feeling and to preserve your bed as the place your brain links with proper sleep. “Falling asleep is notoriously difficult to command,” says an expert. “Lacking any sleepiness, it is tougher to get comfortable and practically instruct yourself to fall asleep. There’s got to be a natural inclination present to bring the sleep on to begin with. I can usually take a nap in broad daylight and awaken on my own without a timer, though, what aids many individuals is to wait for a moment where they feel naturally slightly tired and calmly allow sleep to come.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and should options are scarce – such as, when aiming to fit in some shut-eye on a train or in a soundproof office pod – there’s nothing wrong to employ sleep aids. “In my work with footballers, I advise that they avoid becoming accustomed to their own bed for naps, because they’re going to have|they will
