Hear enough self-improvement podcasters, and you'll be easy to think that a nap is a superpower: rather than a band-aid following restless night, but a path to enhanced cognition, a brighter outlook and possibly quicker running times. Premier League soccer players do it regularly – along with concert pianists, mixed martial artists and high-profile executives. Yet, when you lack a special sleep space or a career that allows regular snoozing, can there *honestly* enough benefits to a burst of shut-eye for it to be worth the hassle? Is there a dependable method to nod off promptly? Plus, is it possible to really guarantee you will get up feeling better, instead of groggy?
Identifying The Drive to Snooze
“There are three main reasons for napping for many people,” explains an expert sleep science professor. “One is known as compensatory napping, essentially what happens after experiencing a lack of sleep the night before. The second is prophylactic napping, where you are anticipating insufficient sleep ahead, for example during graveyard shifts. Finally, there's “pleasure-based sleep”, which simply is about wanting: you get a moment to sleep in the afternoon, and it's pleasant to do it.”
The primary task to do, therefore, is to think about your reason for napping. “Daytime sleep can be genuinely useful when night sleeping gets interrupted for reasons outside your control – such as, for caring for an infant, or recovering after being ill or intense exercise,” states a sleep physiologist. “However, if you take a nap since your nighttime sleep feels fragile or poor, that’s often an indicator your need for sleep is not as strong as required. In such situations, daytime sleep can turn into part of the problem, rather than the answer. Employ naps for brief periods for short-term problems – the main goal ought to remain a strong and predictable night’s sleep.”
The Ideal Nap Duration
Therefore that naps must not be sufficiently lengthy to interfere with your overnight rest, and ideally should not occur after about 3pm (based on when you retire at night). How long is sensible? Guidelines are mixed. From the most referenced research regarding daytime sleep, researchers at Nasa discovered that space travelers had a boost of up to 54% in alertness and a 34% boost in cognitive performance following a nap of 26 minutes (in detail, this involved a six-minute long sleep onset time). “I’d suggest setting a timer for 20-30 minutes – the majority fall asleep within 10 minutes,” says a sleep expert. “You'll find much recommendations regarding the ideal number for sleeping, however, that can make people feel more worried above all – and the most counterproductive thing one can do when trying to nod off is worry about it.”
Should you decide to take an extended nap, steer clear of the period between 45 and 60 minutes that encourages sleep grogginess, that spaced-out feeling when you wake. “The science would say it’s better to have a longer nap of 60 to 90 minutes than a medium-length one,” notes the expert. “45 minutes is long enough to send you into slow-wave sleep making it more likely to feel disoriented upon awakening – whereas if you take it a little longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you will probably to be on the end a natural sleep cycle and will probably get up feeling more rejuvenated. But if you're dozing for 90 minutes, it will affect your sleep later that night.”
Finding the Perfect Sleep Space
As for precise methods, recommendations vary. Some experts propose using the same protocol you use to promote quality nighttime sleep: a silent space, a cozy bed and as much darkness as you can manage. Some advise that it's fine to just doze on the sofa in the existing light is available – both to discourage post-nap grogginess and to preserve your sleeping quarters as the environment you associate with proper sleep. “Sleep is notoriously difficult to will,” explains a sleep coach. “Without the urge to sleep, it becomes harder to get comfortable and practically instruct yourself to fall asleep. You need some drive available to bring the sleep on initially. I can usually take a nap in broad daylight and wake up naturally without a timer, though, what aids most folks is to wait for a time where they feel naturally feeling a bit drowsy and then simply ease into sleep.”
It’s worth experimenting, and should you have few options – for example, if attempting to grab 40 winks on a train or in a soundproof office pod – there’s nothing wrong to use a few tools. “Coaching elite athletes, I suggest that they don’t get used to sleeping in their bed, since they’re going to have|they will
