Listen to plenty of self-improvement experts, making it tempting to convince yourself that napping is a superpower: not just a sticking plaster after poor sleep, but a path towards enhanced cognition, improved mood and perhaps improved athletic performance. Elite footballers are all at it – as do musicians, UFC champions and business leaders. However, if you don't have a special sleep space or a job that allows daytime sleep, is it *truly* worthwhile perks to a short sleep to justify the effort? Does there exist a dependable method to nod off promptly? And can you really guarantee you’ll wake up feeling improved, instead of groggy?
Identifying The Reasons for Napping
“There are three primary motivations for daytime sleep for many people,” explains a professor of circadian rhythm professor. “The first is termed recovery napping, essentially what you do when you’ve had poor sleep the previous night. Another is pre-emptive sleep, where you are preparing for insufficient sleep ahead, such as if you’re working overnight shifts. The third is called “appetitive drive”, which essentially comes down to desire: you have a chance to sleep in the daytime, and it's enjoyable to do it.”
The primary task to do, so, is consider your reason for napping. “Napping can be truly beneficial when night sleeping gets interrupted due to causes outside your control – for instance, when you are caring for an infant, or recovering after being ill or heavy physical exertion,” explains a sleep physiologist. “However, if you take a nap because your nighttime sleep seems unreliable or unreliable, that’s often an indicator your body's sleep pressure is not as strong as required. In those cases, naps can become part of the issue, rather than the answer. Employ naps as a temporary measure for short-term problems – the focus ought to remain a solid and consistent overnight rest.”
The Ideal Nap Duration
This implies that naps must not be long enough to disrupt your overnight rest, and best are not recommended post-3 p.m. (contingent on the time you sleep at night). What duration is wise? Guidelines are mixed. Among a prominent study about napping, researchers at Nasa found that crew members showed improvements of over 50% in alertness and a 34% increase in cognitive performance after a 26-minute nap (technically, this involved a six-minute sleep onset time). “I’d suggest setting a timer for 20 to 30 minutes – most people doze off quickly,” explains a specialist. “There is plenty of guidance out there about the optimal amount of time, yet that often cause people to feel more stressed than anything – and the least helpful action you can possibly do when attempting to get to sleep is to stress over it.”
If you’re going to sleep for longer, bypass the 45 to 60 minute range that promotes sleep grogginess, that disoriented sensation upon waking. “Research suggests it is preferable to take an extended nap of 60 to 90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” says the professor. “Three-quarters of an hour is sufficient to send you into slow-wave sleep and you’re more likely to feel sluggish when you wake up – while if you nap for slightly longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you’re likely to be on the end a full cycle and are likely to get up feeling more alert. Though if you're dozing for an hour and a half, it may impact how you sleep later that night.”
Creating the Right Snooze Setting
Regarding specific techniques, suggestions are diverse. Some experts propose adopting similar routines you’d use to encourage a good night’s sleep: a quiet room, a supportive surface and maximum darkness as you can manage. Alternatively, experts propose that you should merely snooze on a couch in whatever light is available – both to discourage that groggy feeling and to maintain your bed as the space your brain links with nighttime rest. “Napping is notoriously difficult to will,” explains a specialist. “Without any sleepiness, it becomes harder to get comfortable and basically tell yourself to nod off. There’s got to be some drive available to start the process initially. I can usually nap in full light and naturally wake up alarm-free, though, what aids many individuals is to anticipate a time where they feel naturally slightly tired and then simply ease into sleep.”
It’s worth experimenting, and should you have few options – for example, if attempting to squeeze in some shut-eye during a commute or in a work pod – it is perfectly fine to use a few tools. “When I’m working with elite athletes, I suggest that they not rely on sleeping in their bed, as they’re going to have|they will
