Tune into plenty of performance experts, and it’s easy to believe that a nap is a powerful tool: not just a band-aid after a bad night’s sleep, but a shortcut towards improved recall, improved mood and possibly a faster 5k run time. Professional athletes are all at it – as do concert pianists, fighters and business leaders. However, if you haven’t got a dedicated nap-room or a career that allows daytime sleep, is it *truly* sufficient advantages to a quick nap for it to be worth the hassle? Can you find a dependable method to nod off promptly? Plus, is it possible to honestly promise you’ll wake up feeling refreshed, not worse?
Identifying Your Reasons for Napping
“We can identify three main reasons for napping for many people,” says an expert sleep science professor. “One is what we call compensatory napping, which is what happens after experiencing a lack of sleep the night before. Another is pre-emptive sleep, which involves pre-empting insufficient sleep in the future, for instance if you’re working graveyard shifts. The third reason is “pleasure-based sleep”, which basically boils down to the wish: you have a moment to sleep in the daytime, and it feels nice to nap.”
The first thing to consider, so, is consider your reason for napping. “Naps can be truly beneficial when nighttime sleep is being disrupted for reasons you cannot change – for instance, if you’re caring for an infant, or recovering from sickness or strenuous activity,” says a sleep expert. “However, if you take a nap because your sleep at night feels fragile or poor, that is frequently a signal your sleep drive is not where it needs to be. In such situations, naps can become a contributing factor, instead of the fix. Utilize daytime sleep as a temporary measure for temporary issues – the main goal must always be a solid and consistent sleep at night.”
The Perfect Nap Duration
This means that naps must not be long enough to interfere with your nighttime sleep, and preferably should not occur after about 3pm (based on when you retire in the evening). How long is sensible? Advice differs. From the most referenced research regarding daytime sleep, experts noted that astronauts showed up to a 54% increase in vigilance and a 34% increase in cognitive performance following a nap of 26 minutes (in detail, this involved an initial six-minute sleep onset time). “I’d suggest using an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – many individuals doze off within 10 minutes,” says a sleep expert. “There’s a lot of guidance out there regarding the perfect length of minutes, however, that can lead individuals to become more anxious than anything else – and the worst thing you can do when attempting to get to sleep is worry about it.”
If you’re going to sleep for longer, avoid the period between 45 and 60 minutes that induces sleep grogginess, that disoriented sensation when you wake. “Studies indicates it's more effective to opt for a lengthier snooze lasting 60-90 minutes than a medium-length one,” explains the professor. “Three-quarters of an hour is enough time to send you into a deep sleep stage and it is more probable to feel disoriented upon awakening – whereas if you take it slightly longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you will probably to be completing a full cycle and should get up feeling more refreshed. However, if you're dozing for an hour and a half, it may impact your sleep later that night.”
Creating the Right Sleep Space
As for specific techniques, advice differs. Some experts propose adopting the same protocol you use to foster quality nighttime sleep: a silent space, a supportive surface and maximum darkness as you can manage. Alternatively, experts propose that it's fine to just doze in a chair in the existing light is present – to prevent that groggy feeling and to maintain your sleeping quarters as the environment your brain links with nighttime rest. “Napping is quite challenging to force,” explains a specialist. “Without any drowsiness, it becomes harder to get comfortable and basically tell yourself to nod off. There’s got to be some drive there to start the process in the first place. Personally, I can often take a nap during the day and wake up naturally alarm-free, however, what assists many individuals is to look for an instance that they’re naturally somewhat sleepy and just gently allow sleep to come.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and when your choices are limited – for instance, when aiming to fit in 40 winks during a commute or in a work pod – it is perfectly fine to employ sleep aids. “When I’m working with professional sportspeople, I suggest that they avoid becoming accustomed to their own bed for naps, since they’re going to have|they will
