Hear enough self-improvement podcasters, and you'll be simple to think that dozing is a superpower: more than a sticking plaster after restless night, but a shortcut towards improved recall, a brighter outlook and perhaps quicker running times. Professional athletes swear by it – along with professional piano players, mixed martial artists and media moguls. But if you don't have a special sleep space or a job that encourages daytime sleep, are there *really* enough benefits to a quick nap to justify the kerfuffle? Does there exist a surefire technique to nod off promptly? Plus, is it possible to honestly promise you’ll wake up feeling better, rather than worse?
Identifying Your Nap Motivation
“Experts note three key drivers for daytime sleep in the adult population,” says an expert sleep and circadian science researcher. “The first is known as make-up sleep, essentially what happens when you’ve had insufficient sleep the night before. The second is pre-emptive sleep, when you are preparing for insufficient sleep coming up, for example when working graveyard shifts. Finally, there's “hedonic napping”, which simply boils down to the wish: you have a moment to nap in the daytime, and it feels nice to indulge.”
The first thing to undertake, therefore, is to examine your reason for napping. “Daytime sleep can be truly beneficial when night sleeping is being disrupted because of factors you cannot change – for example, for a new parent, or you’re recovering after being ill or strenuous activity,” states a sleep physiologist. “Yet when you nap as your night sleep feels fragile or broken, that is frequently a sign your body's sleep pressure is not where required. In those cases, daytime sleep can turn into part of the issue, not the solution. Employ naps for brief periods for short-term problems – the main goal must always be a robust and regular sleep at night.”
The Perfect Snooze Time
Therefore that naps must not be sufficiently lengthy to interfere with your sleep at night, and ideally are not recommended post-3 p.m. (depending on when you sleep in the evening). What's a reasonable length? Advice differs. In one of a prominent study about napping, researchers at Nasa noted that space travelers had a boost of up to 54% in attentiveness and a 34% increase in cognitive performance after a 26-minute nap (technically, this counted a six-minute long nodding-off period). “I’d suggest setting an alarm for 20-30 minutes – the majority are asleep quickly,” says a specialist. “There’s a lot of recommendations regarding the optimal amount of minutes, yet that often make people feel more anxious than anything – and the least helpful action you can possibly do when trying to get to sleep is to be anxious.”
If you’re going to take an extended nap, avoid the period between 45 and 60 minutes that promotes that sluggish feeling, that disoriented sensation when you wake. “Research indicates it's more effective to have a longer nap lasting 60-90 minutes than a medium-length one,” says the expert. “Three-quarters of an hour is long enough to plunge you into slow-wave sleep and it is more probable to feel disoriented when you wake up – while if you extend it a bit longer to a full sleep cycle, you will probably to be on the end a full cycle and will probably awaken feeling more rejuvenated. However, if you’re sleeping for a long period, it can influence your sleep in the evening.”
Finding an Ideal Nap Environment
As for exact methodologies, advice differs. Certain specialists recommend adopting the same protocol you use to encourage restful sleep: a peaceful area, a cozy bed and as much darkness as possible. Alternatively, experts propose that one could merely snooze on a couch in the existing light is present – to avoid sleep inertia and to “protect” your sleeping quarters as the space you associate with nighttime rest. “Falling asleep is something really tricky to force,” explains a sleep coach. “Without any sleepiness, it is tougher to get comfortable and practically tell yourself to go to sleep. You need some drive available to initiate sleep to begin with. I can usually take a nap in broad daylight and wake up naturally without a timer, though, what aids many individuals is to wait for an instance when they are naturally slightly tired and just gently relax into it.”
Experimentation is key, and if you have few options – such as, if attempting to grab some shut-eye while traveling or in a work pod – it is perfectly fine to use sleep aids. “When I’m working with elite athletes, I advise that they not rely on sleeping in their bed, as they’re going to have|they will
