Tune into enough performance gurus, and you'll be simple to believe that a nap is a superpower: not just a quick fix following restless night, but a path towards a better memory, better spirits and perhaps improved athletic performance. Professional soccer players are all at it – and so are concert pianists, mixed martial artists and business leaders. However, if you lack a dedicated nap-room or a career that encourages daytime sleep, is it *truly* enough benefits to a burst of shut-eye to justify the effort? Does there exist a reliable way to fall asleep fast? Furthermore, can you really guarantee you will arise feeling improved, not worse?
Exploring Your Reasons for Napping
“We can identify three primary motivations for daytime sleep for many people,” notes a leading sleep science researcher. “Firstly, there's termed make-up sleep, which is the action you take when you’ve had a lack of sleep overnight. Secondly, there's preparatory napping, which involves pre-empting insufficient sleep in the future, such as during on night shifts. The third is called “appetitive drive”, which simply boils down to wanting: you have a moment to nap in the afternoon, and it's pleasant to indulge.”
The initial step to do, then, is to examine your reason for napping. “Naps can be really helpful when night sleeping is being disrupted for reasons beyond your control – for instance, for caring for an infant, or recovering from sickness or strenuous activity,” says a sleep specialist. “However, if you take a nap since your nighttime sleep is unstable or broken, that can be a signal your sleep drive is not where required. In those cases, daytime sleep can turn into part of the problem, instead of the fix. Use napping as a short-term solution for short-term problems – the priority must always be a strong and predictable overnight rest.”
The Optimal Snooze Time
Therefore that daytime sleep ought not to be sufficiently lengthy to interfere with your sleep at night, and preferably should not occur in the late afternoon (depending on when you go to bed overnight). How long is sensible? Guidelines are mixed. Among a prominent study on the subject, experts discovered that crew members showed a boost of up to 54% in alertness and a 34% boost in task performance after a 26-minute nap (to be precise, this involved a six-minute falling asleep phase). “I recommend setting a timer for half an hour or less – most people are asleep within 10 minutes,” says a sleep coach. “There is plenty of recommendations about the ideal number of minutes, however, that can cause people to feel more worried than anything – and the most counterproductive thing you can do while aiming to nod off is to be anxious.”
If you plan to take an extended nap, bypass the 45 to 60 minute range that encourages that sluggish feeling, that disoriented sensation upon waking. “Research suggests it is preferable to have an extended nap lasting 60-90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” explains the sleep scientist. “45 minutes is enough time to put you into a deep sleep stage and it is more probable to feel sluggish when you get up – whereas if you nap for slightly longer to an hour or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to be on the end of a sleep cycle and are likely to get up feeling more refreshed. Though if you nap for a long period, it may impact your sleep in the evening.”
Establishing an Ideal Snooze Setting
As for specific techniques, suggestions are diverse. A few professionals recommend employing similar routines you’d use to foster a good night’s sleep: a peaceful area, a comfortable bed and as much darkness as you can manage. Some advise that one could merely snooze on a couch in the existing light happens to be around – to avoid post-nap grogginess and to preserve your bedroom as the environment your brain links with nighttime rest. “Falling asleep is quite challenging to command,” explains a specialist. “Lacking the urge to sleep, it is more challenging to recline and essentially tell yourself to nod off. There must be a natural inclination present to start the process to begin with. I can usually take a nap during the day and awaken on my own without a timer, though, what aids many individuals is to look for a time that they’re naturally feeling a bit drowsy and calmly ease into sleep.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and when your choices are limited – such as, when aiming to squeeze in a quick nap on a train or in a soundproof office pod – it's acceptable with bringing sleep aids. “When I’m working with footballers, I advise that they don’t get used to napping in bed, because they’re going to have|they will
