Tune into plenty of self-improvement podcasters, making it simple to convince yourself that napping is a secret weapon: more than a sticking plaster after restless night, but a shortcut towards a better memory, a brighter outlook and maybe quicker running times. Professional athletes do it regularly – as do professional piano players, UFC champions and media moguls. Yet, when you lack a special sleep space or a career that allows frequent naps, is it *truly* sufficient advantages to a quick nap to merit the hassle? Can you find a dependable method to get to sleep quickly enough? Furthermore, can you honestly promise you will get up feeling better, rather than worse?
Identifying Your Reasons for Napping
“We can identify three key drivers for daytime sleep for many people,” notes an expert sleep science specialist. “Firstly, there's termed make-up sleep, which is the action you take when you’ve had a lack of sleep the previous night. Secondly, there's preparatory napping, which involves anticipating sleep loss coming up, for example during on night shifts. Finally, there's “appetitive drive”, which simply is about desire: there is a moment to sleep during the day, and it's pleasant to nap.”
The initial step to undertake, so, is to think about your reason for napping. “Naps can be truly beneficial when nighttime sleep is being disrupted due to causes outside your control – such as, if you’re caring for an infant, or you’re recovering from illness or heavy physical exertion,” explains a sleep physiologist. “But if you take a nap as your night sleep feels fragile or unreliable, that can be an indicator your body's sleep pressure is not where it needs to be. In those cases, napping can become a contributing factor, rather than the answer. Employ naps for brief periods to address immediate needs – the main goal must always be a robust and regular night’s sleep.”
The Optimal Nap Length
Therefore that naps shouldn’t be long enough to disrupt your nighttime sleep, and ideally should not occur post-3 p.m. (contingent on when you sleep overnight). What duration is wise? Guidelines are mixed. From a prominent study regarding daytime sleep, researchers at Nasa discovered that space travelers experienced improvements of over 50% in vigilance and a 34% boost in performance after a 26-minute nap (in detail, this included a six-minute sleep onset time). “I’d suggest setting a timer for 20 to 30 minutes – most people are asleep in under ten minutes,” notes a sleep expert. “There is plenty of recommendations concerning the ideal number for sleeping, however, that can cause people to feel more worried than anything – and the worst thing one can do while aiming to fall asleep is to stress over it.”
Should you decide to take an extended nap, avoid the period between 45 and 60 minutes that promotes sleep grogginess, that spaced-out feeling when you wake. “Research indicates it’s better to have a longer nap of 60 to 90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” explains the sleep scientist. “Forty-five minutes is sufficient to plunge you into slow-wave sleep and it is more probable to feel disoriented when you get up – whereas if you extend it slightly longer to an hour or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to finish a natural sleep cycle and are likely to awaken feeling more refreshed. But if you’re sleeping for 90 minutes, it may impact your sleep in the evening.”
Finding an Ideal Snooze Setting
As for precise methods, recommendations vary. Some experts suggest using comparable habits you’d use to foster restful sleep: a peaceful area, a cozy bed and minimal light as you can manage. Some advise that it's fine to merely snooze on a couch in whatever light is present – to avoid sleep inertia and to “protect” your bedroom as the space you associate with *real* sleep. “Falling asleep is something really tricky to command,” notes a specialist. “Without any sleepiness, it becomes harder to lie down and basically tell yourself to fall asleep. There must be a natural inclination there to start the process initially. Personally, I can often snooze during the day and wake up naturally alarm-free, but what helps a lot of people is to anticipate a time when they are naturally somewhat sleepy and calmly ease into sleep.”
Experimentation is key, and if options are scarce – such as, if attempting to squeeze in a quick nap while traveling or in a work pod – it is perfectly fine to use some accessories. “When I’m working with footballers, I suggest that they don’t get used to sleeping in their bed, as they’re going to have|they will
