Listen to a few self-improvement gurus, and it’s tempting to convince yourself that napping is a secret weapon: rather than a band-aid following restless night, but a path to a better memory, better spirits and perhaps a faster 5k run time. Elite soccer players swear by it – along with musicians, mixed martial artists and high-profile executives. But if you don't have a dedicated nap-room or employment that allows daytime sleep, can there *honestly* sufficient advantages to a quick nap to justify the hassle? Can you find a reliable way to get to sleep quickly enough? And can you truly ensure you will arise feeling refreshed, rather than worse?
Understanding The Reasons for Napping
“Experts note three primary motivations for napping in the adult population,” notes an expert sleep science researcher. “The first is known as make-up sleep, which is what happens after experiencing a lack of sleep overnight. The second is pre-emptive sleep, when you are anticipating a sleep deficit ahead, such as if you’re working graveyard shifts. The third is called “hedonic napping”, which basically is about wanting: you get a chance to sleep during the day, and it's enjoyable to do it.”
The initial step to undertake, then, is to examine why you want to nap. “Daytime sleep can be genuinely useful when nighttime sleep is disturbed due to causes outside your control – for example, for a parent of a newborn, or if you are healing after being ill or strenuous activity,” states a sleep expert. “But if you take a nap since your nighttime sleep feels fragile or broken, that’s often an indicator your sleep drive is not at the level it should be. In such situations, daytime sleep can turn into part of the issue, not the solution. Use napping as a short-term solution for temporary issues – the focus ought to remain a strong and predictable night’s sleep.”
The Optimal Nap Duration
Therefore that daytime sleep must not be long enough to disrupt your nighttime sleep, and ideally shouldn’t take place in the late afternoon (contingent on what time you go to bed in the evening). What's a reasonable length? Recommendations vary. Among a prominent study regarding daytime sleep, researchers at Nasa found that crew members had improvements of over 50% in alertness plus a 34% rise in cognitive performance post a 26-minute snooze (in detail, this counted a six-minute nodding-off period). “I’d suggest setting an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – many individuals doze off within 10 minutes,” notes a sleep coach. “There’s a lot of recommendations concerning the ideal number for sleeping, yet that often cause people to feel more worried than anything else – and the worst thing you can do while aiming to get to sleep is worry about it.”
If you’re going to take an extended nap, bypass the period between 45 and 60 minutes that encourages sleep inertia, that spaced-out feeling upon waking. “The science indicates it is preferable to have a longer nap of one to one and a half hours compared to a medium-length nap,” says the expert. “Three-quarters of an hour is long enough to put you into a deep sleep stage and it is more probable to feel sluggish when you wake up – however, if you extend it a bit longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you’re likely to be completing of a sleep cycle and will probably wake up feeling more refreshed. Though if you nap for a long period, it can influence your sleep in the evening.”
Creating the Right Snooze Setting
As for precise methods, advice differs. Some experts suggest employing the same protocol you use to foster quality nighttime sleep: a peaceful area, a supportive surface and as much darkness as possible. Alternatively, experts propose that you should simply nap on the sofa with ambient lighting happens to be around – to avoid that groggy feeling and to maintain your bedroom as the place you associate with nighttime rest. “Falling asleep is notoriously difficult to command,” says a sleep coach. “Lacking the urge to sleep, it becomes harder to get comfortable and practically command yourself to go to sleep. There must be some sleep pressure present to bring the sleep on initially. I can usually take a nap in broad daylight and awaken on my own without an alarm, however, what assists a lot of people is to look for a time that they’re naturally somewhat sleepy and calmly ease into sleep.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and when your choices are limited – for example, if attempting to grab 40 winks during a commute or in a work pod – it is perfectly fine with bringing some accessories. “When I’m working with footballers, I suggest that they avoid becoming accustomed to sleeping in their bed, since they’re going to have|they will
