Tune into enough productivity podcasters, and you'll be simple to believe that a nap is a powerful tool: rather than a sticking plaster following restless night, but a shortcut to enhanced cognition, better spirits and perhaps quicker running times. Elite footballers swear by it – as do professional piano players, fighters & media moguls. Yet, when you lack a dedicated nap-room or a job that allows daytime sleep, is it *truly* enough benefits to a short sleep to justify the hassle? Is there a reliable way to fall asleep fast? And can you truly ensure you will get up feeling refreshed, rather than worse?
Exploring Your Reasons for Napping
“We can identify three key drivers for daytime sleep for many people,” explains a leading sleep science professor. “The first is known as compensatory napping, that is what you do following poor sleep overnight. Another is pre-emptive sleep, when you are preparing for insufficient sleep in the future, such as when working on night shifts. The third is called “appetitive drive”, which basically comes down to the wish: you get a moment to sleep in the afternoon, and it's enjoyable to do it.”
The initial step to consider, so, is to examine your nap motivation. “Naps can be truly beneficial when nighttime sleep gets interrupted due to causes you cannot change – for example, when you are a new parent, or you’re recovering from illness or intense exercise,” explains a sleep physiologist. “Yet when you take a nap because your sleep at night seems unreliable or unreliable, that is frequently a signal your need for sleep is not at the level it should be. Under those circumstances, napping can become part of the issue, rather than the answer. Employ naps for brief periods for short-term problems – the priority ought to remain a robust and regular sleep at night.”
The Ideal Snooze Time
Therefore that napping shouldn’t be long enough to disrupt your sleep at night, and ideally are not recommended post-3 p.m. (depending on the time you sleep at night). What duration is wise? Recommendations vary. Among a prominent study on the subject, experts noted that crew members showed up to a 54% increase in alertness and a 34% increase in performance following a nap of 26 minutes (technically, this counted a six-minute falling asleep phase). “I’d suggest setting an alarm for 20-30 minutes – the majority fall asleep quickly,” says a sleep expert. “There is plenty of recommendations regarding the optimal amount of minutes, yet that often cause people to feel more anxious than anything else – and the least helpful action you can possibly do when attempting 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 encourages sleep inertia, that spaced-out feeling when you awaken. “Research indicates it’s better to take a longer nap of one to one and a half hours compared to a medium-length nap,” says the expert. “Forty-five minutes is long enough to plunge you into a deep sleep stage and you’re more likely to feel groggy upon awakening – while if you take it slightly longer to an hour or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to be completing a full cycle and are likely to wake up feeling more rejuvenated. However, if you're dozing for 90 minutes, it can influence how you sleep later that night.”
Creating the Perfect Snooze Setting
Regarding specific techniques, recommendations vary. A few professionals suggest adopting the same protocol one would use to foster restful sleep: a silent space, a supportive surface and minimal light as is feasible. Some advise that you should simply nap on the sofa in the existing light is available – both to discourage post-nap grogginess and to preserve your bed as the place your brain links with proper sleep. “Napping is quite challenging to will,” notes a sleep coach. “Lacking any sleepiness, it becomes harder to get comfortable and essentially instruct yourself to go to sleep. There must be some sleep pressure available to initiate sleep to begin with. I can usually nap in full light and naturally wake up alarm-free, however, what assists most folks is to wait for a moment that they’re naturally feeling a bit drowsy and then simply relax into it.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and should you have few options – such as, if you’re trying to fit in a quick nap while traveling or in a work pod – it's acceptable to use some accessories. “Coaching elite athletes, I suggest that they not rely on napping in bed, because they’re going to have|they will
