Listen to plenty of performance podcasters, and you'll be simple to convince yourself that a nap is a superpower: rather than a sticking plaster after a bad night’s sleep, but a shortcut towards a better memory, improved mood and possibly improved athletic performance. Elite footballers do it regularly – as do musicians, mixed martial artists and high-profile executives. Yet, when you don't have a dedicated nap-room or a career that permits daytime sleep, can there *honestly* worthwhile perks to a quick nap to justify the kerfuffle? Can you find a surefire technique to get to sleep quickly enough? Plus, is it possible to truly ensure you will get up feeling refreshed, not worse?
Understanding The Drive to Snooze
“We can identify three key drivers for napping among most adults,” explains a professor of sleep and circadian science researcher. “One is termed compensatory napping, essentially what you do when you’ve had a lack of sleep the night before. Another is prophylactic napping, where you are anticipating insufficient sleep coming up, for example during graveyard shifts. The third reason is “pleasure-based sleep”, which essentially is about the wish: you get a moment to nap in the daytime, and it feels nice to indulge.”
The primary task to consider, then, is to examine why you want to nap. “Daytime sleep can be genuinely useful when night sleeping is disturbed because of factors beyond your control – for example, if you’re a new parent, or if you are healing from illness or strenuous activity,” explains a sleep expert. “Yet when you nap since your sleep at night feels fragile or poor, that is frequently a signal your sleep drive is not as strong as it should be. In such situations, daytime sleep can turn into part of the issue, not the solution. Utilize daytime sleep for brief periods for temporary issues – the main goal should still be a solid and consistent overnight rest.”
The Ideal Nap Length
This means that naps ought not to be long enough to interfere with your sleep at night, and preferably should not occur in the late afternoon (depending on when you retire at night). How long is sensible? Advice differs. Among the most-cited studies regarding daytime sleep, experts found that crew members showed up to a 54% increase in attentiveness and a 34% boost in task performance after a 26-minute nap (in detail, this involved a six-minute nodding-off period). “My advice is setting an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – many individuals are asleep quickly,” notes a specialist. “You'll find much advice around regarding the perfect length of time, but that tends to cause people to feel more anxious than anything else – and the most counterproductive thing you can possibly do when trying to get to sleep is to be anxious.”
If you plan to take an extended nap, steer clear of the period between 45 and 60 minutes that encourages that sluggish feeling, that foggy state when you awaken. “Studies would say it's more effective to take a lengthier snooze of 60 to 90 minutes than a medium-length one,” explains the professor. “45 minutes is sufficient 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 a bit longer to a full sleep cycle, it's likely you'll to be on the end a full cycle and are likely to wake up feeling more alert. But if you nap for a long period, it may impact the quality of your sleep in the evening.”
Establishing an Ideal Snooze Setting
When it comes to exact methodologies, advice differs. A few professionals suggest using similar routines you’d use to foster quality nighttime sleep: a quiet room, a cozy bed and minimal light as possible. Alternatively, experts propose that it's fine to merely snooze on the sofa in the existing light happens to be around – to avoid sleep inertia and to preserve your sleeping quarters as the space your mind associates with nighttime rest. “Sleep is notoriously difficult to will,” says a specialist. “If you don’t have the urge to sleep, it becomes harder to lie down and practically instruct yourself to nod off. There’s got to be some drive available to start the process initially. Personally, I can often nap in broad daylight and awaken on my own alarm-free, but what helps a lot of people is to look for an instance where they feel naturally somewhat sleepy and just gently ease into sleep.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and if options are scarce – for example, if attempting to fit in a quick nap on a train or at the office – it's acceptable to employ a few tools. “When I’m working with professional sportspeople, I advise that they not rely on their own bed for naps, as they’re going to have|they will
