Tune into plenty of self-improvement experts, making it tempting to think that dozing is a superpower: not just a band-aid following a bad night’s sleep, but a path to improved recall, improved mood and maybe improved athletic performance. Premier League athletes swear by it – and so are musicians, mixed martial artists & business leaders. However, if you haven’t got a special sleep space or employment that allows regular snoozing, is it *truly* sufficient advantages to a burst of shut-eye for it to be worth the kerfuffle? Does there exist a surefire technique to get to sleep quickly enough? Furthermore, can you really guarantee you’ll wake up feeling refreshed, not worse?
Exploring Your Reasons for Napping
“There are three key drivers for taking a nap among most adults,” notes a professor of sleep and circadian science researcher. “One is what we call compensatory napping, essentially what you do following poor sleep overnight. The second is preparatory napping, when you are preparing for sleep loss ahead, for instance if you’re working graveyard shifts. The third is called “hedonic napping”, which basically boils down to wanting: you get a chance to nap in the daytime, and it's enjoyable to nap.”
The initial step to consider, so, is to think about why you want to nap. “Naps can be really helpful when nighttime sleep is disturbed because of factors beyond your control – for example, when you are a parent of a newborn, or recovering after being ill or intense exercise,” explains a sleep expert. “But if you nap as your nighttime sleep is unstable or broken, that is frequently an indicator your sleep drive is not at the level it needs to be. In those cases, napping can become part of the problem, instead of the fix. Use napping as a temporary measure for short-term problems – the priority should still be a strong and predictable overnight rest.”
The Perfect Snooze Time
Therefore that daytime sleep shouldn’t be too extended to affect your overnight rest, and ideally are not recommended in the late afternoon (based on the time you go to bed in the evening). What's a reasonable length? Advice differs. In one of the most referenced research about napping, researchers at Nasa found that astronauts showed improvements of over 50% in attentiveness and a 34% boost in performance after a 26-minute nap (to be precise, this counted an initial six-minute nodding-off period). “I recommend setting a timer for 20-30 minutes – most people doze off quickly,” notes a sleep coach. “There’s a lot of recommendations regarding the optimal amount for sleeping, but that tends to cause people to feel more worried than anything – and the most counterproductive thing you can possibly do when attempting to get to sleep is to be anxious.”
Should you decide to sleep for longer, bypass the 45 to 60 minute range that encourages sleep inertia, that disoriented sensation when you wake. “Research suggests it is preferable to opt for a longer nap lasting 60-90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” says the expert. “Forty-five minutes is sufficient to plunge you into deep sleep and it is more probable to feel disoriented when you get up – while if you nap for slightly longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you’re likely to be on the end of a sleep cycle and will probably wake up feeling more refreshed. Though if you're dozing for 90 minutes, it will affect how you sleep in the evening.”
Establishing the Perfect Nap Environment
When it comes to exact methodologies, recommendations vary. A few professionals recommend employing the same protocol you use to promote quality nighttime sleep: a quiet room, a comfortable bed and minimal light as you can manage. Others suggest that you should merely snooze on a couch in whatever light is present – to avoid post-nap grogginess and to maintain your bed as the place your mind associates with nighttime rest. “Napping is notoriously difficult to command,” notes a specialist. “Lacking any drowsiness, it becomes harder to lie down and basically instruct yourself to go to sleep. There’s got to be a natural inclination present to start the process in the first place. I can usually nap during the day and wake up naturally without a timer, though, what aids many individuals is to anticipate a time when they are naturally feeling a bit drowsy and calmly ease into sleep.”
It’s worth experimenting, and should options are scarce – for instance, when aiming to fit in a quick nap while traveling or at the office – it is perfectly fine to employ some accessories. “When I’m working with footballers, I suggest that they don’t get used to napping in bed, because they’re going to have|they will
