Hear a few productivity gurus, and you'll be easy to think that napping is a powerful tool: more than a sticking plaster after poor sleep, but a path to enhanced cognition, better spirits and possibly improved athletic performance. Premier League footballers are all at it – and so are professional piano players, mixed martial artists and high-profile executives. However, if you don't have a special sleep space or a career that allows regular snoozing, can there *honestly* worthwhile perks to a burst of shut-eye to justify the hassle? Can you find a dependable method to nod off promptly? Furthermore, can you really guarantee you will get up feeling better, instead of groggy?
Understanding Your Reasons for Napping
“Experts note three key drivers for taking a nap among most adults,” explains a professor of sleep and circadian science professor. “Firstly, there's what we call make-up sleep, which is what you do when you’ve had poor sleep the previous night. Another is pre-emptive sleep, where you are anticipating insufficient sleep in the future, such as when working on night shifts. Finally, there's “pleasure-based sleep”, which essentially comes down to the wish: there is a chance to doze during the day, and it's pleasant to do it.”
The initial step to do, then, is to think about your reason for napping. “Daytime sleep can be really helpful when overnight rest gets interrupted for reasons beyond your control – such as, if you’re caring for an infant, or you’re recovering from sickness or strenuous activity,” says a sleep physiologist. “However, if you’re napping since your sleep at night is unstable or unreliable, that’s often a signal your need for sleep is not at the level required. Under those circumstances, naps can become part of the issue, not the solution. Employ naps as a short-term solution for temporary issues – the main goal should still be a strong and predictable night’s sleep.”
The Perfect Nap Length
Therefore that daytime sleep ought not to be long enough to disrupt your nighttime sleep, and best are not recommended post-3 p.m. (depending on what time you sleep in the evening). How long is sensible? Recommendations vary. In one of the most referenced research regarding daytime sleep, space agency scientists found that crew members had up to a 54% increase in vigilance plus a 34% rise in performance after a 26-minute nap (in detail, this included a six-minute falling asleep phase). “I recommend setting an alarm for half an hour or less – the majority doze off quickly,” explains a sleep expert. “There’s a lot of guidance out there concerning the perfect length of time, but that tends to cause people to feel more worried than anything else – and the worst thing you can do when trying to nod off is worry about it.”
If you plan to nap for a longer period, steer clear of the period between 45 and 60 minutes that induces that sluggish feeling, that foggy state when you awaken. “The science would say it’s better to opt for an extended nap of 60 to 90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” notes the expert. “Forty-five minutes is long enough to send you into a deep sleep stage making it more likely to feel sluggish when you wake up – whereas if you extend it a little longer to a full sleep cycle, it's likely you'll to be completing a full cycle and are likely to get up feeling more rejuvenated. But if you’re sleeping for an hour and a half, it may impact how you sleep in the evening.”
Establishing the Perfect Snooze Setting
As for specific techniques, advice differs. A few professionals suggest employing the same protocol you use to promote quality nighttime sleep: a silent space, a supportive surface and maximum darkness as is feasible. Some advise that one could merely snooze in a chair in the existing light happens to be around – both to discourage that groggy feeling and to preserve your bed as the place your mind associates with nighttime rest. “Sleep is notoriously difficult to will,” notes an expert. “Lacking the urge to sleep, it is tougher to get comfortable and practically command yourself to fall asleep. You need some sleep pressure present to start the process initially. For me, it's possible to take a nap during the day and wake up naturally alarm-free, but what helps many individuals is to wait for a moment when they are naturally slightly tired and then simply allow sleep to come.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and if options are scarce – such as, when aiming to grab a quick nap during a commute or in a work pod – there’s nothing wrong to employ some accessories. “When I’m working with elite athletes, I advise that they don’t get used to sleeping in their bed, as they’re going to have|they will
