Hear plenty of productivity gurus, making it simple to think that a nap is a superpower: not just a sticking plaster following restless night, but a path to enhanced cognition, a brighter outlook and perhaps a faster 5k run time. Premier League soccer players swear by it – and so are musicians, fighters and media moguls. But if you lack a special sleep space or a job that permits daytime sleep, can there *honestly* enough benefits to a quick nap for it to be worth the hassle? Can you find a reliable way to nod off promptly? And can you really guarantee you will get up feeling better, not worse?
Exploring The Drive to Snooze
“We can identify three key drivers for napping for many people,” says a professor of sleep and circadian science specialist. “One is known as recovery napping, which is the action you take when you’ve had poor sleep overnight. Secondly, there's prophylactic napping, where you are anticipating sleep loss in the future, such as during on night shifts. Finally, there's “pleasure-based sleep”, which simply boils down to wanting: you get a chance to nap in the afternoon, and it feels nice to nap.”
The primary task to do, so, is consider your reason for napping. “Napping can be really helpful when night sleeping is disturbed for reasons you cannot change – for example, when you are a new parent, or recovering from illness or heavy physical exertion,” says a sleep specialist. “Yet when you’re napping since your sleep at night is unstable or broken, that’s often a signal your sleep drive is not at the level required. Under those circumstances, naps can become a contributing factor, rather than the answer. Employ naps as a short-term solution for temporary issues – the priority must always be a solid and consistent sleep at night.”
The Optimal Nap Length
Therefore that daytime sleep shouldn’t be too extended to disrupt your overnight rest, and ideally are not recommended post-3 p.m. (depending on the time you retire overnight). How long is sensible? Advice differs. Among the most referenced research on the subject, researchers at Nasa discovered that astronauts experienced a boost of up to 54% in vigilance and a 34% increase in performance after a 26-minute nap (technically, this involved a six-minute nodding-off period). “I recommend using an alarm for 20-30 minutes – most people fall asleep in under ten minutes,” explains a sleep coach. “There is plenty of recommendations concerning the optimal amount of minutes, however, that can lead individuals to become more worried than anything else – and the worst thing one can do when attempting to get to sleep is to stress over it.”
If you plan to sleep for longer, bypass the 45 to 60 minute range that promotes sleep grogginess, that disoriented sensation when you wake. “Research indicates it is preferable to have a longer nap of one to one and a half hours compared to a medium-length nap,” explains the expert. “45 minutes is enough time to send you into a deep sleep stage and you’re more likely to feel disoriented upon awakening – while if you nap for a bit longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you will probably to be completing a full cycle and are likely to awaken feeling more alert. But if you’re sleeping for an hour and a half, it will affect the quality of your sleep later that night.”
Establishing the Perfect Snooze Setting
When it comes to exact methodologies, advice differs. A few professionals recommend using the same protocol one would use to encourage quality nighttime sleep: a peaceful area, a cozy bed and as much darkness as possible. Others suggest that one could merely snooze in a chair in the existing light happens to be around – to avoid post-nap grogginess and to “protect” your bed as the place your brain links with nighttime rest. “Sleep is notoriously difficult to command,” notes a sleep coach. “Lacking any sleepiness, it becomes harder to lie down and practically command yourself to nod off. You need some drive available to start the process in the first place. Personally, I can often take a nap in full light and awaken on my own without a timer, though, what aids a lot of people is to anticipate an instance where they feel naturally somewhat sleepy and just gently relax into it.”
It’s worth experimenting, and if options are scarce – for instance, if you’re trying to grab 40 winks while traveling or in a work pod – it is perfectly fine to use some accessories. “When I’m working with professional sportspeople, I suggest that they not rely on their own bed for naps, because they’re going to have|they will
