Tune into plenty of productivity podcasters, making it tempting to think that a nap is a secret weapon: rather than a quick fix following poor sleep, but a route to improved recall, better spirits and perhaps improved athletic performance. Professional footballers do it regularly – and so are musicians, mixed martial artists & business leaders. Yet, when you don't have a special sleep space or a job that allows frequent naps, can there *honestly* worthwhile perks to a short sleep to merit the hassle? Does there exist a reliable way to get to sleep quickly enough? Plus, is it possible to truly ensure you’ll wake up feeling improved, rather than worse?
Understanding The Reasons for Napping
“Experts note three primary motivations for daytime sleep for many people,” says an expert sleep and circadian science professor. “The first is termed make-up sleep, which is what you do when you’ve had insufficient sleep the night before. Secondly, there's preparatory napping, which involves preparing for a sleep deficit coming up, for instance when working graveyard shifts. Finally, there's “hedonic napping”, which basically is about wanting: you get a moment to doze during the day, and it feels nice to nap.”
The initial step to consider, so, is to think about your reason for napping. “Napping can be really helpful when night sleeping gets interrupted due to causes outside your control – for example, if you’re caring for an infant, or if you are healing from sickness or intense exercise,” explains a sleep physiologist. “Yet when you take a nap as your nighttime sleep feels fragile or broken, that’s often an indicator your need for sleep is not as strong as it needs to be. Under those circumstances, naps can become part of the problem, not the solution. Employ naps for brief periods for short-term problems – the focus must always be a robust and regular sleep at night.”
The Perfect Nap Duration
Therefore that naps must not be sufficiently lengthy to interfere with your overnight rest, and best shouldn’t take place in the late afternoon (contingent on when you sleep overnight). What duration is wise? Recommendations vary. In one of the most referenced research about napping, experts noted that astronauts had improvements of over 50% in alertness and a 34% increase in performance post a 26-minute snooze (technically, this included an initial six-minute sleep onset time). “My advice is setting a timer for 20-30 minutes – most people fall asleep in under ten minutes,” says a specialist. “There’s a lot of advice around concerning the ideal number for sleeping, yet that often cause people to feel more worried above all – and the least helpful action you can possibly do while aiming to get to sleep is to stress over it.”
Should you decide to nap for a longer period, steer clear of the 45-60 minute window that promotes sleep grogginess, that foggy state when you awaken. “Studies would say it is preferable to opt for a lengthier snooze of 60 to 90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” says the expert. “Three-quarters of an hour is enough time to put you into a deep sleep stage and you’re more likely to feel disoriented upon awakening – however, if you nap for a little longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you will probably to be on the end a full cycle and will probably wake up feeling more refreshed. But if you're dozing for 90 minutes, it may impact your sleep that night.”
Creating an Ideal Nap Environment
Regarding precise methods, advice differs. Some experts suggest adopting the same protocol you use to foster restful sleep: a peaceful area, a comfortable bed and maximum darkness as you can manage. Alternatively, experts propose that one could simply nap in a chair with ambient lighting is present – both to discourage sleep inertia and to preserve your bed as the place your brain links with proper sleep. “Sleep is something really tricky to command,” notes an expert. “Lacking the urge to sleep, it is more challenging to lie down and essentially command yourself to fall asleep. There’s got to be a natural inclination present to initiate sleep to begin with. Personally, I can often take a nap in broad daylight and awaken on my own alarm-free, though, what aids most folks is to look for a time that they’re naturally slightly tired and calmly ease into sleep.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and when you have few options – for example, if attempting to squeeze in some shut-eye during a commute or at the office – it is perfectly fine to employ sleep aids. “Coaching elite athletes, I recommend that they not rely on sleeping in their bed, as they’re going to have|they will
