Hear a few performance gurus, making it tempting to think that napping is a powerful tool: rather than a sticking plaster following a bad night’s sleep, but a route to improved recall, a brighter outlook and possibly a faster 5k run time. Premier League soccer players are all at it – as do professional piano players, fighters and business leaders. But if you haven’t got a dedicated nap-room or a job that permits regular snoozing, can there *honestly* enough benefits to a quick nap to justify the effort? Does there exist a dependable method to get to sleep quickly enough? Furthermore, can you honestly promise you will arise feeling refreshed, rather than worse?
Understanding Your Reasons for Napping
“There are three key drivers for daytime sleep among most adults,” says an expert circadian rhythm researcher. “One is what we call make-up sleep, essentially the action you take when you’ve had a lack of sleep the previous night. Secondly, there's pre-emptive sleep, which involves preparing for insufficient sleep coming up, for instance during graveyard shifts. The third reason is “pleasure-based sleep”, which basically comes down to desire: there is a moment to nap in the daytime, and it's enjoyable to indulge.”
The primary task to undertake, then, is to examine your reason for napping. “Daytime sleep can be truly beneficial when overnight rest is being disrupted for reasons beyond your control – for instance, if you’re caring for an infant, or you’re recovering after being ill or strenuous activity,” says a sleep physiologist. “Yet when you take a nap because your night sleep seems unreliable or broken, that can be a signal your need for sleep is not at the level it needs to be. Under those circumstances, daytime sleep can turn into part of the problem, not the solution. Use napping as a short-term solution to address immediate needs – the focus should still be a solid and consistent overnight rest.”
The Optimal Snooze Time
Therefore that napping ought not to be too extended to disrupt your nighttime sleep, and best shouldn’t take place after about 3pm (contingent on what time you retire in the evening). What's a reasonable length? Guidelines are mixed. From a prominent study about napping, space agency scientists found that crew members had a boost of up to 54% in vigilance and a 34% boost in task performance after a 26-minute nap (in detail, this included a six-minute sleep onset time). “I recommend setting an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – the majority fall asleep in under ten minutes,” explains a specialist. “There is plenty of guidance out there regarding the ideal number for sleeping, however, that can cause people to feel more stressed than anything – and the least helpful action one can do when attempting to fall asleep is worry about it.”
If you’re going to nap for a longer period, steer clear of the 45-60 minute window that encourages that sluggish feeling, that foggy state upon waking. “Research suggests it is preferable to opt for a longer nap of 60 to 90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” says the expert. “45 minutes is sufficient to send you into slow-wave sleep and you’re more likely to feel sluggish upon awakening – however, if you nap for a little longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you will probably to be completing a full cycle and should awaken feeling more alert. Though if you nap for 90 minutes, it will affect your sleep that night.”
Establishing the Right Snooze Setting
As for precise methods, recommendations vary. A few professionals recommend using similar routines one would use to promote quality nighttime sleep: a silent space, a supportive surface and minimal light as you can manage. Others suggest that you should simply nap on a couch with ambient lighting is present – both to discourage sleep inertia and to maintain your bedroom as the place you associate with proper sleep. “Falling asleep is something really tricky to force,” explains a sleep coach. “Lacking any sleepiness, it is more challenging to lie down and basically tell yourself to go to sleep. You need some drive there to bring the sleep on in the first place. I can usually snooze in full light and awaken on my own alarm-free, but what helps a lot of people is to anticipate an instance that they’re naturally somewhat sleepy and then simply relax into it.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and should you have few options – such as, if attempting to grab a quick nap while traveling or at the office – it's acceptable with bringing sleep aids. “When I’m working with elite athletes, I recommend that they don’t get used to their own bed for naps, because they’re going to have|they will
