Tune into enough self-improvement gurus, and you'll be easy to believe that a nap is a powerful tool: not just a band-aid following poor sleep, but a route towards enhanced cognition, better spirits and possibly a faster 5k run time. Premier League athletes are all at it – as do concert pianists, fighters and high-profile executives. But if you lack a special sleep space or a career that permits frequent naps, is it *truly* sufficient advantages to a quick nap to justify the effort? Is there a surefire technique to nod off promptly? Plus, is it possible to truly ensure you will arise feeling better, rather than worse?
Understanding The Reasons for Napping
“We can identify three key drivers for taking a nap among most adults,” explains a professor of sleep and circadian science professor. “Firstly, there's known as make-up sleep, which is the action you take when you’ve had insufficient sleep the night before. The second is pre-emptive sleep, where you are anticipating sleep loss coming up, such as if you’re working overnight shifts. The third is called “appetitive drive”, which essentially boils down to wanting: you get a chance to nap during the day, and it's pleasant to nap.”
The initial step to do, therefore, is to examine why you want to nap. “Naps can be genuinely useful when overnight rest is disturbed for reasons outside your control – for example, if you’re caring for an infant, or if you are healing from sickness or strenuous activity,” states a sleep expert. “But if you take a nap as your nighttime sleep is unstable or broken, that’s often a sign your body's sleep pressure is not at the level it should be. Under those circumstances, naps can become a contributing factor, instead of the fix. Utilize daytime sleep as a short-term solution for temporary issues – the focus must always be a robust and regular overnight rest.”
The Perfect Snooze Time
This implies that naps ought not to be sufficiently lengthy to disrupt your nighttime sleep, and best should not occur post-3 p.m. (contingent on what time you retire in the evening). What duration is wise? Guidelines are mixed. Among the most referenced research about napping, researchers at Nasa discovered that crew members had up to a 54% increase in alertness and a 34% boost in task performance after a 26-minute nap (to be precise, this included a six-minute falling asleep phase). “I’d suggest setting a timer for 20-30 minutes – many individuals doze off in under ten minutes,” explains a sleep coach. “You'll find much advice around regarding the perfect length of minutes, but that tends to cause people to feel more stressed than anything else – and the most counterproductive thing one can do when trying to nod off is worry about it.”
If you plan to take an extended nap, bypass the 45-60 minute window that induces that sluggish feeling, that disoriented sensation upon waking. “The science suggests it is preferable to opt for a lengthier snooze lasting 60-90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” explains the expert. “Forty-five minutes is enough time to plunge you into a deep sleep stage and you’re more likely to feel groggy upon awakening – whereas if you take it a bit longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you will probably to be on the end a natural sleep cycle and are likely to awaken feeling more alert. Though if you're dozing for an hour and a half, it will affect the quality of your sleep in the evening.”
Creating an Ideal Snooze Setting
Regarding exact methodologies, advice differs. A few professionals suggest adopting the same protocol you use to promote quality nighttime sleep: a silent space, a supportive surface and maximum darkness as is feasible. Alternatively, experts propose that one could merely snooze in a chair in whatever light is present – both to discourage that groggy feeling and to “protect” your bedroom as the space you associate with proper sleep. “Falling asleep is notoriously difficult to force,” explains a sleep coach. “Lacking any drowsiness, it is more challenging to get comfortable and essentially tell yourself to fall asleep. There must be some sleep pressure available to initiate sleep in the first place. For me, it's possible to take a nap in broad daylight and naturally wake up without a timer, but what helps many individuals is to look for a moment when they are naturally somewhat sleepy and then simply allow sleep to come.”
It’s worth experimenting, and should your choices are limited – such as, if you’re trying to fit in some shut-eye during a commute or at the office – there’s nothing wrong with bringing some accessories. “Coaching elite athletes, I suggest that they don’t get used to sleeping in their bed, as they’re going to have|they will
