Hear plenty of self-improvement podcasters, and it’s tempting to think that napping is a secret weapon: not just a band-aid following restless night, but a route towards enhanced cognition, better spirits and possibly improved athletic performance. Premier League footballers swear by it – and so are concert pianists, UFC champions & media moguls. But if you haven’t got a dedicated nap-room or a career that encourages frequent naps, are there *really* worthwhile perks to a burst of shut-eye for it to be worth the effort? Does there exist a surefire technique to nod off promptly? Furthermore, can you really guarantee you will get up feeling improved, rather than worse?
Identifying The Reasons for Napping
“There are three primary motivations for daytime sleep among most adults,” says an expert sleep science specialist. “Firstly, there's what we call recovery napping, which is the action you take after experiencing a lack of sleep the night before. Secondly, there's prophylactic napping, which involves preparing for insufficient sleep in the future, such as when working graveyard shifts. The third is called “pleasure-based sleep”, which simply is about wanting: you have a moment to doze in the daytime, and it's pleasant to nap.”
The first thing to undertake, then, is to think about your nap motivation. “Napping can be truly beneficial when overnight rest is being disrupted because of factors beyond your control – such as, when you are caring for an infant, or recovering after being ill or strenuous activity,” states a sleep physiologist. “But if you nap because your nighttime sleep feels fragile or broken, that’s often a signal your need for sleep is not where it should be. In such situations, naps can become part of the issue, not the solution. Employ naps as a temporary measure to address immediate needs – the main goal must always be a solid and consistent night’s sleep.”
The Optimal Snooze Time
This implies that daytime sleep shouldn’t be sufficiently lengthy to disrupt your sleep at night, and ideally shouldn’t take place in the late afternoon (depending on the time you retire in the evening). What duration is wise? Guidelines are mixed. In one of the most referenced research on the subject, experts discovered that astronauts showed up to a 54% increase in attentiveness and a 34% increase in task performance post a 26-minute snooze (to be precise, this included an initial six-minute falling asleep phase). “My advice is setting an alarm for half an hour or less – the majority are asleep quickly,” explains a sleep coach. “You'll find much recommendations regarding the ideal number of minutes, yet that often make people feel more stressed than anything else – and the least helpful action you can do when attempting to nod off is worry about it.”
If you’re going to nap for a longer period, bypass the 45 to 60 minute range that induces sleep grogginess, that spaced-out feeling when you awaken. “The science indicates it's more effective to opt for an extended nap of 60 to 90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” says the sleep scientist. “Forty-five minutes is long enough to put you into deep sleep making it more likely to feel disoriented when you wake up – whereas if you nap for a bit longer to a full sleep cycle, you will probably to be completing a natural sleep cycle and should awaken feeling more rejuvenated. But if you’re sleeping for 90 minutes, it may impact the quality of your sleep that night.”
Creating an Ideal Nap Environment
As for exact methodologies, advice differs. Certain specialists propose using similar routines you use to foster restful sleep: a silent space, a comfortable bed and maximum darkness as possible. Others suggest that it's fine to simply nap in a chair in whatever light happens to be around – to avoid that groggy feeling and to “protect” your bed as the environment your mind associates with nighttime rest. “Falling asleep is notoriously difficult to will,” notes an expert. “Lacking the urge to sleep, it is more challenging to recline and basically instruct yourself to go to sleep. There’s got to be some sleep pressure there to start the process in the first place. I can usually take a nap in broad daylight and naturally wake up without a timer, but what helps many individuals is to wait for a moment when they are naturally somewhat sleepy and then simply relax into it.”
It’s worth experimenting, and should your choices are limited – such as, if attempting to squeeze in some shut-eye during a commute or at the office – it's acceptable to employ a few tools. “When I’m working with professional sportspeople, I suggest that they not rely on napping in bed, as they’re going to have|they will
