Tune into plenty of productivity experts, and it’s tempting to convince yourself that a nap is a superpower: rather than a quick fix following restless night, but a shortcut towards a better memory, better spirits and possibly a faster 5k run time. Elite athletes do it regularly – as do concert pianists, mixed martial artists & business leaders. But if you haven’t got a room for napping or a job that permits frequent naps, are there *really* sufficient advantages to a burst of shut-eye to justify the kerfuffle? Can you find a surefire technique to get to sleep quickly enough? Furthermore, can you truly ensure you will get up feeling refreshed, not worse?
Exploring The Reasons for Napping
“There are three main reasons for taking a nap for many people,” notes a leading sleep and circadian science professor. “One is known as make-up sleep, that is what happens after experiencing poor sleep overnight. The second is preparatory napping, when you are preparing for sleep loss coming up, for instance during graveyard shifts. Finally, there's “appetitive drive”, which basically comes down to wanting: you get a moment to nap in the afternoon, and it's pleasant to nap.”
The initial step to undertake, therefore, is to examine your nap motivation. “Daytime sleep can be truly beneficial when overnight rest is being disrupted because of factors you cannot change – for example, for a parent of a newborn, or recovering from sickness or intense exercise,” explains a sleep expert. “But if you’re napping since your night sleep feels fragile or poor, that is frequently an indicator your sleep drive is not where required. In those cases, daytime sleep can turn into part of the problem, rather than the answer. Use napping as a temporary measure to address immediate needs – the main goal ought to remain a strong and predictable night’s sleep.”
The Optimal Snooze Time
This means that napping ought not to be too extended to affect your overnight rest, and preferably should not occur after about 3pm (depending on when you go to bed in the evening). What duration is wise? Recommendations vary. From the most-cited studies regarding daytime sleep, space agency scientists noted that space travelers had a boost of up to 54% in alertness plus a 34% rise in cognitive performance post a 26-minute snooze (to be precise, this involved a six-minute long sleep onset time). “I recommend setting an alarm for 20-30 minutes – many individuals doze off in under ten minutes,” explains a specialist. “You'll find much advice around regarding the ideal number of time, however, that can lead individuals to become more anxious above all – and the least helpful action one can do when attempting to nod off is to be anxious.”
Should you decide to nap for a longer period, steer clear of the period between 45 and 60 minutes that induces sleep grogginess, that spaced-out feeling when you wake. “Research suggests it’s better to have a longer nap of one to one and a half hours than a medium-length one,” notes the sleep scientist. “45 minutes is enough time to plunge you into deep sleep making it more likely to feel sluggish upon awakening – however, if you take it slightly longer to a full sleep cycle, you will probably to be on the end of a sleep cycle and are likely to awaken feeling more refreshed. Though if you're dozing for a long period, it will affect your sleep in the evening.”
Creating the Right Snooze Setting
Regarding exact methodologies, suggestions are diverse. A few professionals propose employing similar routines one would use to foster a good night’s sleep: a silent space, a cozy bed and as much darkness as possible. Others suggest that it's fine to merely snooze on the sofa in whatever light is present – to prevent that groggy feeling and to “protect” your bedroom as the space your brain links with proper sleep. “Falling asleep is quite challenging to command,” explains an expert. “Without any sleepiness, it is more challenging to lie down and practically tell yourself to fall asleep. You need some sleep pressure present to start the process to begin with. For me, it's possible to nap during the day and wake up naturally alarm-free, though, what aids most folks is to wait for a moment that they’re naturally slightly tired and then simply relax into it.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and when you have few options – for example, when aiming to fit in some shut-eye on a train or in a work pod – there’s nothing wrong to employ a few tools. “Coaching elite athletes, I suggest that they not rely on sleeping in their bed, because they’re going to have|they will
