Hear a few productivity gurus, and you'll be easy to believe that a nap is a superpower: rather than a sticking plaster following a bad night’s sleep, but a route to improved recall, better spirits and perhaps quicker running times. Elite athletes swear by it – along with musicians, UFC champions & business leaders. Yet, when you haven’t got a dedicated nap-room or a career that allows daytime sleep, is it *truly* sufficient advantages to a quick nap to merit the hassle? Can you find a dependable method to nod off promptly? Plus, is it possible to really guarantee you will arise feeling improved, rather than worse?
Understanding Your Drive to Snooze
“Experts note three main reasons for taking a nap in the adult population,” says an expert circadian rhythm researcher. “Firstly, there's termed make-up sleep, that is what happens after experiencing insufficient sleep the night before. Secondly, there's prophylactic napping, where you are preparing for insufficient sleep ahead, for instance during graveyard shifts. The third reason is “hedonic napping”, which essentially is about desire: you get a moment to doze in the daytime, and it feels nice to nap.”
The first thing to undertake, so, is consider your reason for napping. “Naps can be really helpful when night sleeping is being disrupted due to causes you cannot change – such as, if you’re caring for an infant, or recovering after being ill or heavy physical exertion,” states a sleep physiologist. “However, if you nap since your nighttime sleep is unstable or poor, that is frequently a signal your body's sleep pressure is not as strong as required. In those cases, naps can become a contributing factor, rather than the answer. Employ naps for brief periods to address immediate needs – the main goal ought to remain a solid and consistent overnight rest.”
The Optimal Nap Duration
This means that naps must not be too extended to interfere with your sleep at night, and preferably should not occur in the late afternoon (contingent on when you sleep overnight). How long is sensible? Guidelines are mixed. Among the most referenced research on the subject, space agency scientists noted that astronauts showed a boost of up to 54% in attentiveness and a 34% increase in task performance post a 26-minute snooze (technically, this involved an initial six-minute sleep onset time). “I recommend using an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – the majority fall asleep quickly,” notes a specialist. “There is plenty of advice around about the ideal number for sleeping, however, that can lead individuals to become more stressed than anything – and the least helpful action you can do when attempting to fall asleep is to stress over it.”
If you’re going to nap for a longer period, avoid the 45-60 minute window that promotes sleep inertia, that foggy state when you awaken. “Studies indicates it’s better to opt for a longer nap of 60 to 90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” explains the sleep scientist. “Forty-five minutes is long enough to put you into a deep sleep stage making it more likely to feel disoriented upon awakening – while if you extend it a bit longer to a full sleep cycle, you’re likely to be on the end a natural sleep cycle and will probably get up feeling more alert. Though if you're dozing for a long period, it can influence how you sleep later that night.”
Finding the Perfect Nap Environment
Regarding specific techniques, suggestions are diverse. Certain specialists recommend employing the same protocol you use to promote quality nighttime sleep: a silent space, a comfortable bed and maximum darkness as you can manage. Alternatively, experts propose that it's fine to simply nap on the sofa in whatever light happens to be around – to avoid that groggy feeling and to “protect” your bed as the space your brain links with *real* sleep. “Napping is notoriously difficult to command,” says a sleep coach. “If you don’t have the urge to sleep, it becomes harder to lie down and practically instruct yourself to go to sleep. There must be some sleep pressure available to initiate sleep initially. Personally, I can often snooze during the day and awaken on my own without an alarm, but what helps a lot of people is to wait for a time when they are naturally slightly tired and just gently relax into it.”
It’s worth experimenting, and if you have few options – such as, if you’re trying to squeeze in some shut-eye on a train or in a soundproof office pod – it's acceptable to use a few tools. “In my work with footballers, I suggest that they not rely on sleeping in their bed, since they’re going to have|they will
