Hear enough self-improvement podcasters, and you'll be simple to convince yourself that napping is a superpower: more than a band-aid after restless night, but a route towards improved recall, better spirits and perhaps a faster 5k run time. Elite footballers are all at it – as do musicians, UFC champions and high-profile executives. But if you lack a room for napping or a career that permits daytime sleep, are there *really* enough benefits to a quick nap for it to be worth the kerfuffle? Can you find a surefire technique to get to sleep quickly enough? And can you honestly promise you’ll wake up feeling refreshed, instead of groggy?
Understanding Your Reasons for Napping
“Experts note three primary motivations for taking a nap among most adults,” explains a professor of circadian rhythm researcher. “The first is termed compensatory napping, which is the action you take when you’ve had poor sleep the previous night. Another is pre-emptive sleep, when you are pre-empting a sleep deficit ahead, for example during graveyard shifts. Finally, there's “hedonic napping”, which essentially boils down to the wish: you have a chance to sleep during the day, and it's pleasant to nap.”
The primary task to undertake, then, is to examine your reason for napping. “Daytime sleep can be genuinely useful when overnight rest is disturbed due to causes beyond your control – for example, for caring for an infant, or recovering after being ill or heavy physical exertion,” says a sleep physiologist. “But if you nap because your sleep at night feels fragile or unreliable, that can be an indicator your body's sleep pressure is not at the level it should be. Under those circumstances, napping can become part of the problem, rather than the answer. Utilize daytime sleep as a temporary measure for short-term problems – the main goal must always be a solid and consistent overnight rest.”
The Optimal Nap Length
This means that naps must not be long enough to affect your sleep at night, and ideally should not occur after about 3pm (contingent on what time you sleep in the evening). What's a reasonable length? Guidelines are mixed. Among the most referenced research about napping, space agency scientists noted that astronauts showed up to a 54% increase in alertness and a 34% increase in cognitive 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 half an hour or less – most people are asleep within 10 minutes,” says a specialist. “You'll find much recommendations concerning the perfect length of minutes, yet that often lead individuals to become more stressed than anything – and the worst thing you can do when attempting to nod off is to be anxious.”
If you’re going to sleep for longer, avoid the 45-60 minute window that encourages sleep grogginess, that disoriented sensation when you awaken. “The science would say it’s better to have an extended nap lasting 60-90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” says the expert. “Three-quarters of an hour is enough time to put you into slow-wave sleep and it is more probable to feel groggy upon awakening – while if you take it slightly longer to an hour or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to finish a full cycle and will probably awaken feeling more rejuvenated. Though if you nap for an hour and a half, it can influence your sleep in the evening.”
Establishing the Perfect Nap Environment
As for specific techniques, suggestions are diverse. A few professionals propose adopting similar routines you use to promote quality nighttime sleep: a quiet room, a cozy bed and maximum darkness as is feasible. Some advise that you should merely snooze in a chair in the existing light is available – to avoid that groggy feeling and to maintain your sleeping quarters as the space you associate with nighttime rest. “Falling asleep is something really tricky to will,” explains a sleep coach. “If you don’t have any sleepiness, it becomes harder to recline and essentially instruct yourself to go to sleep. There’s got to be some drive present to bring the sleep on initially. For me, it's possible to take a nap in full light and awaken on my own alarm-free, however, what assists many individuals is to wait for a time where they feel naturally somewhat sleepy and calmly relax into it.”
It’s worth experimenting, and if your choices are limited – for instance, if you’re trying to fit in some shut-eye during a commute or at the office – it's acceptable to employ some accessories. “When I’m working with footballers, I suggest that they avoid becoming accustomed to their own bed for naps, since they’re going to have|they will
