Tune into plenty of performance gurus, making it simple to believe that a nap is a powerful tool: more than a quick fix following poor sleep, but a shortcut to a better memory, improved mood and maybe a faster 5k run time. Premier League soccer players do it regularly – and so are concert pianists, UFC champions and high-profile executives. Yet, when you lack a dedicated nap-room or employment that encourages regular snoozing, is it *truly* enough benefits to a quick nap to justify the hassle? Is there a reliable way to nod off promptly? Plus, is it possible to honestly promise you will get up feeling better, instead of groggy?
Understanding Your Nap Motivation
“Experts note three primary motivations for taking a nap for many people,” explains a leading circadian rhythm specialist. “Firstly, there's termed compensatory napping, essentially what happens following a lack of sleep the previous night. Another is prophylactic napping, which involves preparing for insufficient sleep coming up, such as if you’re working graveyard shifts. The third reason is “hedonic napping”, which basically is about wanting: you have a chance to doze in the daytime, and it feels nice to nap.”
The primary task to consider, so, is to think about your nap motivation. “Napping can be genuinely useful when nighttime sleep is disturbed because of factors beyond your control – such as, for a parent of a newborn, or you’re recovering after being ill or heavy physical exertion,” explains a sleep physiologist. “However, if you nap as your sleep at night feels fragile or poor, that’s often a signal your body's sleep pressure is not as strong as required. In those cases, naps can become a contributing factor, instead of the fix. Utilize daytime sleep as a short-term solution for short-term problems – the focus must always be a strong and predictable sleep at night.”
The Perfect Nap Duration
This implies that naps shouldn’t be too extended to disrupt your sleep at night, and best shouldn’t take place after about 3pm (depending on what time you go to bed overnight). What duration is wise? Guidelines are mixed. From the most-cited studies about napping, experts found that crew members had up to a 54% increase in alertness plus a 34% rise in cognitive performance following a nap of 26 minutes (to be precise, this included a six-minute long nodding-off period). “I recommend setting a timer for 20-30 minutes – many individuals doze off quickly,” says a specialist. “There is plenty of recommendations about the ideal number for sleeping, but that tends to make people feel more worried than anything else – and the most counterproductive thing you can do while aiming to fall asleep is to stress over it.”
If you’re going to take an extended nap, steer clear of the 45 to 60 minute range that promotes sleep inertia, that foggy state when you awaken. “Research indicates it is preferable to opt for a longer nap lasting 60-90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” explains the sleep scientist. “Three-quarters of an hour is sufficient to put you into a deep sleep stage and it is more probable to feel sluggish when you get up – whereas if you nap for a bit longer to a full sleep cycle, it's likely you'll to be on the end a full cycle and are likely to get up feeling more refreshed. Though if you're dozing for 90 minutes, it will affect how you sleep later that night.”
Finding the Perfect Sleep Space
As for precise methods, recommendations vary. Certain specialists recommend using similar routines one would use to promote restful sleep: a silent space, a cozy bed and minimal light as is feasible. Alternatively, experts propose that you should just doze on a couch in whatever light is present – to avoid sleep inertia and to maintain your bedroom as the environment your mind associates with *real* sleep. “Sleep is quite challenging to force,” says a specialist. “Lacking the urge to sleep, it is more challenging to recline and basically command yourself to nod off. There must be some drive present to bring the sleep on to begin with. Personally, I can often snooze in full light and wake up naturally without a timer, but what helps most folks is to anticipate an instance where they feel naturally feeling a bit drowsy and calmly allow sleep to come.”
It’s worth experimenting, and should you have few options – such as, if you’re trying to grab a quick nap on a train or in a work pod – it is perfectly fine with bringing a few tools. “Coaching elite athletes, I suggest that they avoid becoming accustomed to sleeping in their bed, because they’re going to have|they will
