Listen to a few productivity podcasters, and you'll be simple to convince yourself that a nap is a powerful tool: not just a band-aid after restless night, but a path towards enhanced cognition, better spirits and maybe quicker running times. Premier League soccer players are all at it – as do concert pianists, fighters and high-profile executives. However, if you don't have a room for napping or employment that permits frequent naps, is it *truly* worthwhile perks to a burst of shut-eye to merit the hassle? Can you find a reliable way to fall asleep fast? And can you honestly promise you will get up feeling better, instead of groggy?
Understanding The Drive to Snooze
“Experts note three main reasons for taking a nap in the adult population,” says a professor of sleep science specialist. “Firstly, there's termed make-up sleep, essentially what happens when you’ve had a lack of sleep the night before. The second is prophylactic napping, which involves anticipating a sleep deficit ahead, for example when working on night shifts. The third is called “pleasure-based sleep”, which basically comes down to the wish: you have an opportunity to nap in the daytime, and it's enjoyable to indulge.”
The first thing to consider, therefore, is to think about your nap motivation. “Daytime sleep can be genuinely useful when overnight rest is being disrupted due to causes you cannot change – for instance, when you are a new parent, or you’re recovering from illness or heavy physical exertion,” states a sleep specialist. “Yet when you’re napping since your night sleep is unstable or broken, that can be a sign your need for sleep is not at the level it should be. Under those circumstances, napping can become a contributing factor, instead of the fix. Employ naps as a short-term solution to address immediate needs – the main goal ought to remain a robust and regular overnight rest.”
The Ideal Nap Duration
Therefore that daytime sleep must not be too extended to affect your nighttime sleep, and best shouldn’t take place post-3 p.m. (depending on when you go to bed overnight). What's a reasonable length? Guidelines are mixed. From the most referenced research about napping, researchers at Nasa discovered that crew members experienced up to a 54% increase in attentiveness plus a 34% rise in task performance following a nap of 26 minutes (to be precise, this included a six-minute sleep onset time). “I recommend setting a timer for 20-30 minutes – many individuals doze off in under ten minutes,” explains a sleep expert. “There’s a lot of recommendations regarding the ideal number for sleeping, but that tends to make people feel more anxious than anything else – and the least helpful action one can do when attempting to nod off is to stress over it.”
If you’re going to take an extended nap, steer clear of the 45 to 60 minute range that promotes that sluggish feeling, that spaced-out feeling upon waking. “Research indicates it’s better to take a longer nap of 60 to 90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” says the expert. “Three-quarters of an hour is enough time to send you into a deep sleep stage making it more likely to feel sluggish when you get up – while if you nap for a little longer to an hour or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to be on the end a natural sleep cycle and should get up feeling more refreshed. However, if you're dozing for 90 minutes, it may impact how you sleep in the evening.”
Creating the Perfect Sleep Space
Regarding specific techniques, suggestions are diverse. Some experts recommend employing the same protocol one would use to foster a good night’s sleep: a silent space, a comfortable bed and as much darkness as you can manage. Others suggest that it's fine to just doze on a couch in whatever light is available – both to discourage that groggy feeling and to maintain your bedroom as the place you associate with proper sleep. “Napping is quite challenging to force,” says a specialist. “Without any drowsiness, it is tougher to get comfortable and basically instruct yourself to go to sleep. You need some sleep pressure there to bring the sleep on to begin with. I can usually snooze in broad daylight and wake up naturally without an alarm, however, what assists most folks is to anticipate a time that they’re naturally slightly tired and calmly allow sleep to come.”
Experimentation is key, and if options are scarce – for example, if you’re trying to squeeze in a quick nap during a commute or in a work pod – there’s nothing wrong to employ some accessories. “When I’m working with professional sportspeople, I advise that they avoid becoming accustomed to their own bed for naps, because they’re going to have|they will
