Listen to plenty of self-improvement podcasters, and it’s easy to believe that napping is a powerful tool: more than a band-aid after restless night, but a shortcut to a better memory, improved mood and maybe a faster 5k run time. Professional footballers do it regularly – along with concert pianists, UFC champions and business leaders. But if you haven’t got a special sleep space or a career that encourages daytime sleep, are there *really* enough benefits to a short sleep to justify the kerfuffle? Can you find a surefire technique to nod off promptly? Furthermore, can you honestly promise you will get up feeling better, not worse?
Exploring Your Drive to Snooze
“There are three main reasons for daytime sleep in the adult population,” notes a professor of sleep and circadian science researcher. “The first is known as make-up sleep, which is what happens following a lack of sleep the night before. The second is prophylactic napping, when you are anticipating a sleep deficit ahead, for example during graveyard shifts. Finally, there's “appetitive drive”, which basically is about wanting: you have an opportunity to doze in the daytime, and it's enjoyable to do it.”
The first thing to undertake, therefore, is to examine why you want to nap. “Napping can be really helpful when overnight rest is being disrupted for reasons outside your control – such as, for a parent of a newborn, or if you are healing from illness or heavy physical exertion,” says a sleep physiologist. “Yet when you nap because your night sleep feels fragile or unreliable, that’s often a sign your need for sleep is not at the level it needs to be. In such situations, naps can become part of the problem, instead of the fix. Use napping for brief periods for temporary issues – the priority ought to remain a strong and predictable night’s sleep.”
The Optimal Nap Length
Therefore that napping shouldn’t be too extended to disrupt your nighttime sleep, and ideally should not occur after about 3pm (depending on what time you sleep overnight). What's a reasonable length? Recommendations vary. Among the most-cited studies regarding daytime sleep, researchers at Nasa discovered that crew members experienced a boost of up to 54% in attentiveness and a 34% boost in cognitive performance post a 26-minute snooze (technically, this included an initial six-minute nodding-off period). “My advice is using an alarm for 20-30 minutes – many individuals doze off in under ten minutes,” notes a sleep expert. “There’s a lot of recommendations regarding the optimal amount for sleeping, however, that can lead individuals to become more stressed than anything else – and the worst thing you can possibly do when attempting to nod off is worry about it.”
If you plan to nap for a longer period, steer clear of the 45-60 minute window that promotes sleep grogginess, that disoriented sensation upon waking. “The science indicates it's more effective to have an extended nap lasting 60-90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” explains the expert. “Forty-five minutes is enough time to put you into a deep sleep stage and you’re more likely to feel groggy when you wake up – however, if you extend it a bit longer to an hour or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to finish of a sleep cycle and are likely to wake up feeling more alert. Though if you’re sleeping for 90 minutes, it will affect how you sleep in the evening.”
Establishing the Perfect Snooze Setting
Regarding specific techniques, recommendations vary. Some experts propose employing the same protocol you’d use to encourage restful sleep: a silent space, a cozy bed and as much darkness as possible. Alternatively, experts propose that it's fine to simply nap on a couch with ambient lighting happens to be around – to prevent post-nap grogginess and to “protect” your sleeping quarters as the place you associate with *real* sleep. “Napping is notoriously difficult to force,” notes a sleep coach. “Lacking the urge to sleep, it is tougher to lie down and practically tell yourself to fall asleep. There’s got to be a natural inclination available to start the process initially. For me, it's possible to snooze during the day and wake up naturally without an alarm, though, what aids many individuals is to anticipate a moment when they are naturally slightly tired and calmly relax into it.”
It’s worth experimenting, and if your choices are limited – such as, when aiming to squeeze in some shut-eye during a commute or at the office – it's acceptable to use a few tools. “When I’m working with elite athletes, I suggest that they not rely on their own bed for naps, as they’re going to have|they will
