Tune into a few performance gurus, and it’s simple to convince yourself that a nap is a secret weapon: more than a quick fix following restless night, but a route towards improved recall, a brighter outlook and possibly a faster 5k run time. Professional soccer players do it regularly – along with musicians, mixed martial artists and high-profile executives. However, if you lack a room for napping or a job that permits daytime sleep, are there *really* enough benefits to a quick nap to merit the hassle? Is there a dependable method to nod off promptly? Plus, is it possible to really guarantee you will get up feeling better, rather than worse?
Exploring The Reasons for Napping
“There are three key drivers for daytime sleep in the adult population,” notes a professor of circadian rhythm specialist. “The first is known as compensatory napping, which is the action you take following poor sleep overnight. The second is pre-emptive sleep, when you are pre-empting sleep loss in the future, such as when working overnight shifts. The third is called “pleasure-based sleep”, which simply comes down to the wish: you have an opportunity to doze in the daytime, and it's enjoyable to do it.”
The initial step to consider, therefore, is consider your nap motivation. “Napping can be genuinely useful when overnight rest is being disrupted because of factors outside your control – for instance, if you’re a new parent, or you’re recovering from illness or heavy physical exertion,” explains a sleep expert. “But if you take a nap because your nighttime sleep feels fragile or poor, that’s often a sign your need for sleep is not where required. In such situations, daytime sleep can turn into part of the problem, instead of the fix. Utilize daytime sleep as a temporary measure for temporary issues – the priority must always be a solid and consistent sleep at night.”
The Optimal Snooze Time
This means that daytime sleep must not be long enough to affect your overnight rest, and preferably are not recommended after about 3pm (depending on the time you go to bed in the evening). What duration is wise? Advice differs. In one of the most-cited studies on the subject, space agency scientists found that space travelers showed a boost of up to 54% in vigilance plus a 34% rise in performance post a 26-minute snooze (to be precise, this included a six-minute falling asleep phase). “I recommend setting an alarm for half an hour or less – most people are asleep within 10 minutes,” says a sleep coach. “There’s a lot of advice around concerning the perfect length of time, however, that can cause people to feel more anxious above all – and the worst thing you can do when trying to fall asleep is worry about it.”
If you plan to sleep for longer, avoid the period between 45 and 60 minutes that encourages sleep grogginess, that foggy state when you wake. “The science suggests it's more effective to take an extended nap of 60 to 90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” notes the sleep scientist. “45 minutes is enough time to send you into slow-wave sleep and it is more probable to feel groggy when you wake up – while if you take it a little longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you will probably to be on the end a full cycle and are likely to awaken feeling more alert. However, if you're dozing for an hour and a half, it may impact the quality of your sleep later that night.”
Establishing the Right Snooze Setting
When it comes to specific techniques, suggestions are diverse. Some experts propose adopting similar routines one would use to promote quality nighttime sleep: a quiet room, a comfortable bed and minimal light as is feasible. Alternatively, experts propose that you should merely snooze in a chair in the existing light is present – to avoid post-nap grogginess and to preserve your bed as the space your mind associates with nighttime rest. “Napping is quite challenging to command,” notes an expert. “Lacking any sleepiness, it is more challenging to recline and practically tell yourself to fall asleep. You need some drive there to bring the sleep on to begin with. For me, it's possible to snooze in full light and wake up naturally alarm-free, though, what aids a lot of people is to look for a moment when they are naturally feeling a bit drowsy and then simply ease into sleep.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and when options are scarce – such as, when aiming to grab some shut-eye during a commute or in a soundproof office pod – it is perfectly fine to employ a few tools. “In my work with professional sportspeople, I recommend that they don’t get used to napping in bed, since they’re going to have|they will
