Hear enough productivity gurus, and you'll be easy to believe that napping is a superpower: more than a band-aid after a bad night’s sleep, but a shortcut towards a better memory, improved mood and maybe quicker running times. Premier League soccer players are all at it – and so are professional piano players, mixed martial artists and business leaders. But if you lack a dedicated nap-room or employment that allows regular snoozing, is it *truly* worthwhile perks to a quick nap for it to be worth the kerfuffle? Can you find a surefire technique to fall asleep fast? Furthermore, can you truly ensure you will get up feeling improved, rather than worse?
Understanding Your Nap Motivation
“There are three main reasons for daytime sleep among most adults,” says a leading sleep and circadian science professor. “One is termed make-up sleep, which is what you do when you’ve had insufficient sleep the previous night. The second is pre-emptive sleep, where you are preparing for insufficient sleep ahead, for example when working overnight shifts. The third is called “hedonic napping”, which basically is about desire: there is an opportunity to doze in the daytime, and it's enjoyable to do it.”
The initial step to consider, therefore, is to examine your nap motivation. “Naps can be genuinely useful when overnight rest is disturbed because of factors you cannot change – for instance, if you’re a parent of a newborn, or you’re recovering from sickness or heavy physical exertion,” says a sleep specialist. “However, if you take a nap as your sleep at night seems unreliable or poor, that can be a sign your need for sleep is not at the level required. In those cases, daytime sleep can turn into part of the issue, instead of the fix. Employ naps for brief periods for short-term problems – the focus ought to remain a solid and consistent night’s sleep.”
The Optimal Nap Length
Therefore that daytime sleep shouldn’t be too extended to affect your sleep at night, and preferably are not recommended in the late afternoon (depending on the time you go to bed in the evening). What's a reasonable length? Advice differs. Among a prominent study regarding daytime sleep, experts found that space travelers showed a boost of up to 54% in attentiveness plus a 34% rise in task performance post a 26-minute snooze (to be precise, this included a six-minute long nodding-off period). “I recommend using an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – most people are asleep within 10 minutes,” says a sleep coach. “You'll find much advice around concerning the perfect length for sleeping, yet that often lead individuals to become more worried above all – and the most counterproductive thing you can do when attempting to fall asleep is worry about it.”
If you’re going to nap for a longer period, steer clear of the 45-60 minute window that encourages sleep grogginess, that foggy state when you awaken. “Studies suggests it’s better to take a lengthier snooze of 60 to 90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” says the sleep scientist. “Forty-five minutes is long enough to put you into a deep sleep stage and it is more probable to feel disoriented upon awakening – whereas if you take it a little longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you’re likely to finish a natural sleep cycle and are likely to awaken feeling more alert. However, if you're dozing for an hour and a half, it will affect your sleep later that night.”
Creating the Right Nap Environment
Regarding precise methods, advice differs. Some experts recommend adopting similar routines you use to foster a good night’s sleep: a silent space, a supportive surface and minimal light as you can manage. Alternatively, experts propose that you should merely snooze on the sofa in whatever light happens to be around – both to discourage sleep inertia and to “protect” your sleeping quarters as the place your mind associates with proper sleep. “Napping is notoriously difficult to command,” notes a specialist. “Lacking any drowsiness, it becomes harder to lie down and practically instruct yourself to nod off. There’s got to be a natural inclination available to bring the sleep on initially. I can usually nap in broad daylight and naturally wake up alarm-free, though, what aids many individuals is to wait for an instance that they’re naturally somewhat sleepy and then simply relax into it.”
Experimentation is key, and should your choices are limited – such as, if attempting to grab some shut-eye during a commute or in a work pod – there’s nothing wrong with bringing sleep aids. “In my work with footballers, I suggest that they don’t get used to napping in bed, since they’re going to have|they will
