Listen to a few productivity experts, and it’s tempting to think that napping is a secret weapon: more than a quick fix following restless night, but a path to enhanced cognition, improved mood and possibly quicker running times. Professional soccer players are all at it – as do concert pianists, UFC champions & business leaders. But if you don't have a special sleep space or employment that allows frequent naps, can there *honestly* enough benefits to a short sleep to justify the hassle? Is there a reliable way to get to sleep quickly enough? Plus, is it possible to really guarantee you’ll wake up feeling improved, rather than worse?
Understanding The Nap Motivation
“Experts note three key drivers for napping among most adults,” explains a professor of sleep science professor. “One is termed make-up sleep, that is what you do when you’ve had insufficient sleep the night before. Another is prophylactic napping, which involves pre-empting sleep loss ahead, for instance when working graveyard shifts. The third reason is “hedonic napping”, which simply comes down to wanting: you have an opportunity to doze in the daytime, and it's pleasant to do it.”
The first thing to consider, therefore, is consider your reason for napping. “Naps can be really helpful when night sleeping gets interrupted because of factors you cannot change – such as, when you are a new parent, or recovering from illness or strenuous activity,” explains a sleep specialist. “Yet when you take a nap since your night sleep feels fragile or poor, that is frequently a sign your need for sleep is not at the level it needs to be. In such situations, daytime sleep can turn into a contributing factor, instead of the fix. Employ naps for brief periods to address immediate needs – the focus ought to remain a robust and regular overnight rest.”
The Perfect Nap Length
Therefore that daytime sleep ought not to be sufficiently lengthy to affect your overnight rest, and preferably are not recommended after about 3pm (contingent on what time you retire at night). What duration is wise? Recommendations vary. In one of a prominent study about napping, researchers at Nasa noted that astronauts showed up to a 54% increase in alertness and a 34% increase in performance post a 26-minute snooze (to be precise, this counted a six-minute long sleep onset time). “I’d suggest setting a timer for 20-30 minutes – most people are asleep within 10 minutes,” says a sleep expert. “There is plenty of advice around about the ideal number of time, but that tends to lead individuals to become more worried than anything – and the worst thing you can possibly do when trying to fall asleep is to be anxious.”
If you plan to nap for a longer period, avoid the 45 to 60 minute range that induces that sluggish feeling, that spaced-out feeling upon waking. “Studies would say it is preferable to opt for an extended nap of 60 to 90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” notes the sleep scientist. “Three-quarters of an hour is sufficient to plunge you into a deep sleep stage and you’re more likely to feel disoriented when you wake up – while if you take it a little longer to a full sleep cycle, it's likely you'll to be completing a full cycle and are likely to awaken feeling more alert. But if you're dozing for an hour and a half, it may impact your sleep that night.”
Finding an Ideal Nap Environment
As for exact methodologies, advice differs. Certain specialists propose using comparable habits one would use to foster quality nighttime sleep: a quiet room, a cozy bed and as much darkness as you can manage. Alternatively, experts propose that it's fine to merely snooze in a chair in whatever light happens to be around – to prevent sleep inertia and to “protect” your bed as the environment your mind associates with *real* sleep. “Falling asleep is quite challenging to command,” notes a sleep coach. “Lacking any sleepiness, it is tougher to get comfortable and essentially instruct yourself to nod off. 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 look for a time when they are naturally somewhat sleepy and just gently relax into it.”
Experimentation is key, and if your choices are limited – for example, if you’re trying to grab 40 winks on a train or in a soundproof office pod – there’s nothing wrong to use some accessories. “In my work with professional sportspeople, I suggest that they avoid becoming accustomed to napping in bed, because they’re going to have|they will
