Tune into a few self-improvement experts, and you'll be simple to believe that a nap is a superpower: not just a sticking plaster after restless night, but a path towards enhanced cognition, a brighter outlook and perhaps a faster 5k run time. Professional footballers do it regularly – along with professional piano players, fighters and high-profile executives. However, if you haven’t got a room for napping or a career that allows regular snoozing, are there *really* worthwhile perks to a quick nap to justify the effort? Can you find a dependable method to nod off promptly? Furthermore, can you truly ensure you will arise feeling better, not worse?
Exploring Your Reasons for Napping
“We can identify three primary motivations for daytime sleep among most adults,” says a leading sleep science specialist. “One is what we call recovery napping, that is what happens following poor sleep overnight. Secondly, there's prophylactic napping, when you are pre-empting insufficient sleep coming up, for instance during on night shifts. Finally, there's “appetitive drive”, which simply is about wanting: there is a moment to doze in the daytime, and it feels nice to nap.”
The initial step to consider, therefore, is to examine why you want to nap. “Naps can be truly beneficial when overnight rest is being disrupted due to causes outside your control – for instance, for caring for an infant, or you’re recovering from sickness or strenuous activity,” says a sleep physiologist. “However, if you nap since your sleep at night feels fragile or unreliable, that is frequently an indicator your need for sleep is not where it needs to be. Under those circumstances, naps can become part of the issue, rather than the answer. Utilize daytime sleep as a temporary measure for temporary issues – the focus ought to remain a strong and predictable overnight rest.”
The Optimal Snooze Time
This implies that napping must not be long enough to interfere with your nighttime sleep, and preferably are not recommended post-3 p.m. (depending on what time you sleep in the evening). What duration is wise? Guidelines are mixed. From the most-cited studies regarding daytime sleep, space agency scientists noted that astronauts experienced improvements of over 50% in attentiveness and a 34% increase in cognitive performance following a nap of 26 minutes (to be precise, this involved a six-minute long falling asleep phase). “I’d suggest using an alarm for 20-30 minutes – most people doze off within 10 minutes,” notes a sleep expert. “You'll find much guidance out there regarding the optimal amount of time, yet that often cause people to feel more anxious than anything – and the most counterproductive thing you can do when trying to get to sleep is worry about it.”
If you’re going to nap for a longer period, avoid the 45-60 minute window that promotes that sluggish feeling, that disoriented sensation when you awaken. “Studies would say it's more effective to take a lengthier snooze lasting 60-90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” says the expert. “Forty-five minutes is sufficient to send you into slow-wave sleep and you’re more likely to feel disoriented upon awakening – while if you extend it a little longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you’re likely to be on the end a full cycle and will probably wake up feeling more rejuvenated. However, if you nap for a long period, it may impact the quality of your sleep in the evening.”
Finding the Perfect Nap Environment
When it comes to specific techniques, advice differs. A few professionals recommend adopting the same protocol you’d use to encourage a good night’s sleep: a peaceful area, a comfortable bed and minimal light as is feasible. Some advise that you should simply nap in a chair in the existing light happens to be around – to avoid that groggy feeling and to preserve your sleeping quarters as the place your brain links with *real* sleep. “Falling asleep is notoriously difficult to command,” explains a sleep coach. “If you don’t have any drowsiness, it is tougher to recline and essentially command yourself to fall asleep. You need some drive there to start the process initially. I can usually snooze during the day and naturally wake up without a timer, though, what aids many individuals is to wait for a moment where they feel naturally feeling a bit drowsy and then simply allow sleep to come.”
Experimentation is key, and should you have few options – such as, if you’re trying to fit in 40 winks on a train or in a work pod – it's acceptable with bringing a few tools. “In my work with elite athletes, I suggest that they avoid becoming accustomed to sleeping in their bed, because they’re going to have|they will
