Hear a few self-improvement podcasters, and you'll be tempting to think that dozing is a superpower: rather than a sticking plaster following a bad night’s sleep, but a path towards improved recall, a brighter outlook and possibly quicker running times. Premier League soccer players swear by it – along with professional piano players, fighters & media moguls. But if you haven’t got a dedicated nap-room or a career that permits regular snoozing, can there *honestly* worthwhile perks to a burst of shut-eye to justify the hassle? Does there exist a dependable method to get to sleep quickly enough? Furthermore, can you really guarantee you will get up feeling improved, instead of groggy?
Exploring Your Nap Motivation
“There are three main reasons for daytime sleep in the adult population,” explains a professor of circadian rhythm specialist. “The first is known as compensatory napping, which is the action you take following a lack of sleep the previous night. Another is prophylactic napping, where you are pre-empting sleep loss coming up, such as during graveyard shifts. Finally, there's “appetitive drive”, which basically boils down to desire: you get a moment to sleep in the daytime, and it feels nice to indulge.”
The primary task to consider, so, is to think about why you want to nap. “Napping can be genuinely useful when overnight rest gets interrupted due to causes you cannot change – such as, if you’re a new parent, or if you are healing from illness or strenuous activity,” states a sleep physiologist. “But if you’re napping because your night sleep is unstable or broken, that can be a signal your need for sleep is not where it needs to be. In such situations, napping can become part of the problem, rather than the answer. Employ naps as a short-term solution for short-term problems – the main goal must always be a robust and regular overnight rest.”
The Perfect Snooze Time
This implies that naps must not be sufficiently lengthy to affect your sleep at night, and ideally shouldn’t take place after about 3pm (based on what time you go to bed at night). What's a reasonable length? Advice differs. In one of the most-cited studies about napping, experts discovered that space travelers had a boost of up to 54% in vigilance and a 34% boost in task performance post a 26-minute snooze (in detail, this included an initial six-minute nodding-off period). “I’d suggest setting a timer for 20-30 minutes – most people doze off in under ten minutes,” notes a sleep expert. “There is plenty of advice around about the optimal amount of time, however, that can cause people to feel more worried than anything else – and the most counterproductive thing you can possibly do while aiming to fall asleep is worry about it.”
If you’re going to take an extended nap, bypass the 45-60 minute window that encourages that sluggish feeling, that spaced-out feeling upon waking. “Studies suggests it's more effective to have a lengthier snooze of one to one and a half hours rather than a mid-length nap,” says the professor. “Three-quarters of an hour is long enough to send you into a deep sleep stage and it is more probable to feel sluggish when you get up – while if you take it a little longer to a full sleep cycle, you will probably to be completing a natural sleep cycle and are likely to awaken feeling more rejuvenated. But if you're dozing for a long period, it will affect your sleep later that night.”
Finding the Perfect Sleep Space
Regarding exact methodologies, advice differs. A few professionals propose employing comparable habits you’d use to encourage a good night’s sleep: a peaceful area, a comfortable bed and minimal light as possible. Others suggest that you should merely snooze on a couch with ambient lighting is present – both to discourage that groggy feeling and to “protect” your sleeping quarters as the environment you associate with *real* sleep. “Sleep is notoriously difficult to command,” says an expert. “Lacking any sleepiness, it becomes harder to recline and practically command yourself to fall asleep. There must be a natural inclination available to start the process to begin with. Personally, I can often snooze in broad daylight and wake up naturally without a timer, but what helps most folks is to look for a time where they feel naturally somewhat sleepy and just gently allow sleep to come.”
Experimentation is key, and should options are scarce – such as, if attempting to squeeze in some shut-eye during a commute or at the office – there’s nothing wrong to use sleep aids. “Coaching elite athletes, I recommend that they avoid becoming accustomed to their own bed for naps, as they’re going to have|they will
