Tune into a few performance podcasters, and you'll be tempting to think that dozing is a secret weapon: more than a band-aid after a bad night’s sleep, but a shortcut to improved recall, improved mood and maybe a faster 5k run time. Elite footballers do it regularly – and so are concert pianists, mixed martial artists and business leaders. However, if you haven’t got a dedicated nap-room or employment that allows frequent naps, is it *truly* sufficient advantages to a burst of shut-eye to justify the kerfuffle? Is there a dependable method to fall asleep fast? And can you really guarantee you will arise feeling better, rather than worse?
Exploring Your Reasons for Napping
“We can identify three primary motivations for napping in the adult population,” explains a professor of sleep science professor. “Firstly, there's known as make-up sleep, essentially what happens after experiencing insufficient sleep overnight. The second is pre-emptive sleep, when you are anticipating a sleep deficit ahead, for example when working on night shifts. The third reason is “hedonic napping”, which basically boils down to desire: you get a chance to sleep in the daytime, and it feels nice to do it.”
The initial step to do, therefore, is consider why you want to nap. “Napping can be genuinely useful when night sleeping is being disrupted for reasons you cannot change – such as, when you are caring for an infant, or recovering from illness or intense exercise,” explains a sleep physiologist. “But if you take a nap since your night sleep feels fragile or broken, that is frequently a signal your sleep drive is not where it should be. Under those circumstances, naps can become a contributing factor, rather than the answer. Utilize daytime sleep for brief periods to address immediate needs – the priority should still be a strong and predictable overnight rest.”
The Ideal Nap Duration
This means that naps ought not to be long enough to disrupt your nighttime sleep, and best are not recommended after about 3pm (contingent on when you retire overnight). What's a reasonable length? Guidelines are mixed. Among a prominent study on the subject, space agency scientists noted that astronauts showed a boost of up to 54% in attentiveness plus a 34% rise in performance post a 26-minute snooze (technically, this involved an initial six-minute falling asleep phase). “I’d suggest setting a timer for 20-30 minutes – the majority are asleep quickly,” explains a specialist. “There’s a lot of advice around regarding the ideal number of time, but that tends to make people feel more anxious than anything – and the least helpful action one can do when attempting to fall asleep is to be anxious.”
If you plan to nap for a longer period, avoid the period between 45 and 60 minutes that encourages sleep grogginess, that disoriented sensation when you awaken. “Research would say it's more effective to take an extended nap of one to one and a half hours compared to a medium-length nap,” notes the expert. “Three-quarters of an hour is long enough to plunge you into a deep sleep stage and you’re more likely to feel groggy upon awakening – whereas if you take it a little longer to 60 or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to be on the end a full cycle and should get up feeling more refreshed. Though if you're dozing for an hour and a half, it will affect your sleep later that night.”
Establishing the Perfect Nap Environment
When it comes to exact methodologies, suggestions are diverse. A few professionals suggest using similar routines you’d use to encourage quality nighttime sleep: a peaceful area, a comfortable bed and maximum darkness as you can manage. Some advise that you should just doze in a chair with ambient lighting happens to be around – to avoid that groggy feeling and to maintain your bedroom as the environment you associate with proper sleep. “Napping is notoriously difficult to will,” explains an expert. “If you don’t have any sleepiness, it is more challenging to lie down and basically command yourself to nod off. You need a natural inclination there to bring the sleep on to begin with. Personally, I can often take a nap in full light and wake up naturally alarm-free, but what helps most folks is to anticipate an instance that they’re naturally somewhat sleepy and calmly relax into it.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and when you have few options – such as, if you’re trying to fit in a quick nap while traveling or in a work pod – there’s nothing wrong to use some accessories. “When I’m working with footballers, I advise that they avoid becoming accustomed to their own bed for naps, because they’re going to have|they will
