Hear plenty of productivity experts, and it’s tempting to think that a nap is a powerful tool: rather than a band-aid following a bad night’s sleep, but a shortcut towards a better memory, improved mood and possibly improved athletic performance. Elite footballers are all at it – as do concert pianists, fighters & business leaders. However, if you haven’t got a room for napping or a job that permits frequent naps, is it *truly* enough benefits to a quick nap to justify the effort? Can you find a surefire technique to get to sleep quickly enough? And can you truly ensure you’ll wake up feeling better, instead of groggy?
Identifying The Nap Motivation
“We can identify three main reasons for taking a nap in the adult population,” says a professor of sleep and circadian science specialist. “The first is what we call recovery napping, which is what happens when you’ve had a lack of sleep the night before. The second is prophylactic napping, which involves anticipating sleep loss ahead, such as when working overnight shifts. The third is called “pleasure-based sleep”, which basically comes down to the wish: you have an opportunity to nap in the daytime, and it's enjoyable to indulge.”
The primary task to undertake, so, is to examine why you want to nap. “Daytime sleep 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 after being ill or intense exercise,” explains a sleep expert. “However, if you take a nap since your night sleep seems unreliable or broken, that’s often an indicator your body's sleep pressure is not as strong as it should be. Under those circumstances, daytime sleep can turn into a contributing factor, not the solution. Employ naps as a temporary measure for temporary issues – the focus ought to remain a strong and predictable night’s sleep.”
The Optimal Nap Duration
This implies that napping ought not to be too extended to affect your sleep at night, and best should not occur post-3 p.m. (based on when you retire in the evening). What's a reasonable length? Recommendations vary. From the most referenced research regarding daytime sleep, space agency scientists noted that crew members experienced a boost of up to 54% in alertness and a 34% boost in cognitive performance after a 26-minute nap (technically, this included a six-minute long nodding-off period). “I’d suggest setting an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – most people doze off in under ten minutes,” says a sleep expert. “You'll find much recommendations concerning the optimal amount of time, but that tends to lead individuals to become more stressed above all – and the most counterproductive thing you can do when trying to get to sleep is to stress over it.”
Should you decide to sleep for longer, avoid the period between 45 and 60 minutes that induces that sluggish feeling, that foggy state when you awaken. “Research suggests it is preferable to opt for an extended nap of one to one and a half hours rather than a mid-length nap,” explains the sleep scientist. “45 minutes is sufficient to send you into deep sleep and it is more probable to feel sluggish upon awakening – however, if you take it a bit longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you’re likely to finish a full cycle and are likely to awaken feeling more refreshed. However, if you’re sleeping for 90 minutes, it may impact your sleep later that night.”
Establishing the Perfect Sleep Space
Regarding exact methodologies, advice differs. Some experts suggest adopting similar routines one would use to foster restful sleep: a silent space, a comfortable bed and minimal light as is feasible. Others suggest that one could merely snooze on a couch with ambient lighting happens to be around – to prevent that groggy feeling and to preserve your bed as the environment your brain links with proper sleep. “Falling asleep is notoriously difficult to will,” says a specialist. “Without the urge to sleep, it is more challenging to recline and essentially tell yourself to go to sleep. There must be some drive present to bring the sleep on to begin with. Personally, I can often nap in broad daylight and awaken on my own without a timer, but what helps many individuals is to wait for an instance that they’re naturally slightly tired and calmly relax into it.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and if you have few options – for instance, when aiming to squeeze in some shut-eye on a train or at the office – it is perfectly fine to use some accessories. “When I’m working with footballers, I recommend that they not rely on their own bed for naps, as they’re going to have|they will
