Hear enough self-improvement podcasters, making it tempting to think that dozing is a powerful tool: more than a sticking plaster following poor sleep, but a route towards a better memory, a brighter outlook and perhaps improved athletic performance. Elite athletes do it regularly – as do concert pianists, fighters and business leaders. Yet, when you haven’t got a special sleep space or a job that allows frequent naps, are there *really* worthwhile perks to a quick nap to merit the effort? Can you find a dependable method to get to sleep quickly enough? Furthermore, can you really guarantee you’ll wake up feeling improved, not worse?
Exploring The Reasons for Napping
“There are three primary motivations for napping in the adult population,” explains a professor of circadian rhythm specialist. “One is termed recovery napping, that is what you do after experiencing insufficient sleep the night before. The second is prophylactic napping, which involves pre-empting a sleep deficit coming up, for instance during overnight shifts. The third is called “hedonic napping”, which basically comes down to desire: there is a chance to doze in the daytime, and it's pleasant to nap.”
The initial step to undertake, therefore, is to examine your nap motivation. “Napping can be truly beneficial when nighttime sleep is disturbed due to causes beyond your control – for instance, for caring for an infant, or if you are healing from sickness or heavy physical exertion,” states a sleep specialist. “But if you take a nap as your sleep at night is unstable or unreliable, that is frequently an indicator your need for sleep is not where it should be. In those cases, napping can become part of the problem, instead of the fix. Use napping as a temporary measure to address immediate needs – the focus must always be a strong and predictable sleep at night.”
The Perfect Nap Duration
This means that naps ought not to be sufficiently lengthy to disrupt your nighttime sleep, and best should not occur after about 3pm (based on the time you retire overnight). What's a reasonable length? Recommendations vary. In one of the most referenced research regarding daytime sleep, researchers at Nasa found that crew members experienced improvements of over 50% in vigilance and a 34% increase in performance following a nap of 26 minutes (technically, this included an initial six-minute falling asleep phase). “I recommend using an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – many individuals doze off quickly,” notes a sleep coach. “There’s a lot of recommendations regarding the ideal number of minutes, yet that often lead individuals to become more stressed than anything – and the worst thing you can do when trying to nod off is to stress over it.”
If you plan to nap for a longer period, bypass the period between 45 and 60 minutes that encourages that sluggish feeling, that spaced-out feeling upon waking. “Research indicates it is preferable to have a lengthier snooze of 60 to 90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” notes the professor. “Three-quarters of an hour is sufficient to put you into deep sleep and you’re more likely to feel sluggish when you get up – while if you nap for a bit longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you’re likely to finish of a sleep cycle and should wake up feeling more alert. However, if you’re sleeping for a long period, it may impact your sleep that night.”
Finding the Right Sleep Space
Regarding exact methodologies, recommendations vary. Some experts suggest employing comparable habits you use to encourage restful sleep: a silent space, a comfortable bed and as much darkness as possible. Some advise that you should simply nap in a chair in the existing light is available – both to discourage sleep inertia and to preserve your sleeping quarters as the environment your brain links with *real* sleep. “Sleep is quite challenging to force,” explains a sleep coach. “If you don’t have any drowsiness, it becomes harder to lie down and practically command yourself to fall asleep. There must be some drive available to start the process in the first place. I can usually take a nap during the day and wake up naturally without a timer, however, what assists many individuals is to anticipate a time that they’re naturally somewhat sleepy and then simply allow sleep to come.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and if options are scarce – such as, when aiming to grab 40 winks on a train or in a soundproof office pod – there’s nothing wrong to employ a few tools. “In my work with footballers, I suggest that they not rely on napping in bed, as they’re going to have|they will
