Tune into a few productivity gurus, and you'll be easy to believe that napping is a superpower: not just a sticking plaster following poor sleep, but a route to improved recall, better spirits and maybe improved athletic performance. Premier League footballers are all at it – and so are professional piano players, mixed martial artists and high-profile executives. But if you lack a special sleep space or a job that allows frequent naps, can there *honestly* worthwhile perks to a short sleep for it to be worth the hassle? Can you find a reliable way to nod off promptly? Plus, is it possible to really guarantee you will arise feeling refreshed, rather than worse?
Identifying The Drive to Snooze
“Experts note three main reasons for daytime sleep for many people,” notes an expert sleep and circadian science researcher. “One is termed compensatory napping, that is what you do following insufficient sleep overnight. The second is prophylactic napping, when you are anticipating a sleep deficit ahead, such as when working on night shifts. The third reason is “appetitive drive”, which basically comes down to desire: you get an opportunity to doze in the daytime, and it feels nice to indulge.”
The initial step to do, then, is to think about why you want to nap. “Naps can be truly beneficial when night sleeping is being disrupted due to causes you cannot change – for instance, if you’re a new parent, or you’re recovering from sickness or strenuous activity,” says a sleep specialist. “Yet when you take a nap since your night sleep is unstable or unreliable, that’s often a signal your sleep drive is not as strong as it needs to be. In such situations, daytime sleep can turn into a contributing factor, rather than the answer. Employ naps for brief periods to address immediate needs – the focus ought to remain a strong and predictable sleep at night.”
The Perfect Nap Length
This means that naps ought not to be long enough to affect your sleep at night, and best shouldn’t take place after about 3pm (based on the time you sleep in the evening). What's a reasonable length? Advice differs. From the most-cited studies regarding daytime sleep, experts discovered that crew members showed improvements of over 50% in vigilance and a 34% increase in cognitive performance post a 26-minute snooze (to be precise, this involved a six-minute falling asleep phase). “I recommend setting a timer for 20-30 minutes – the majority are asleep within 10 minutes,” explains a sleep expert. “There is plenty of guidance out there regarding the ideal number for sleeping, yet that often cause people to feel more anxious above all – and the most counterproductive thing you can possibly do while aiming to fall asleep is worry about it.”
If you’re going to sleep for longer, steer clear of the 45-60 minute window that promotes sleep grogginess, that disoriented sensation when you wake. “The science indicates it's more effective to have a lengthier snooze of one to one and a half hours rather than a mid-length nap,” explains the sleep scientist. “Three-quarters of an hour is long enough to plunge you into deep sleep and it is more probable to feel groggy when you wake up – whereas if you extend it slightly longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you will probably to be completing a natural sleep cycle and are likely to wake up feeling more refreshed. But if you're dozing for 90 minutes, it will affect the quality of your sleep later that night.”
Establishing the Right Nap Environment
As for exact methodologies, advice differs. A few professionals suggest adopting comparable habits one would use to encourage quality nighttime sleep: a peaceful area, a supportive surface and minimal light as possible. Some advise that it's fine to merely snooze on the sofa in whatever light is available – to prevent sleep inertia and to “protect” your sleeping quarters as the environment your mind associates with nighttime rest. “Sleep is notoriously difficult to command,” notes a sleep coach. “Lacking the urge to sleep, it is more challenging to get comfortable and essentially tell yourself to nod off. There’s got to be a natural inclination available to start the process to begin with. I can usually nap in full light and wake up naturally without a timer, but what helps a lot of people is to look for an instance when they are naturally feeling a bit drowsy and then simply ease into sleep.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and when your choices are limited – such as, when aiming to grab a quick nap during a commute or at the office – it's acceptable to employ some accessories. “In my work with professional sportspeople, I advise that they don’t get used to sleeping in their bed, since they’re going to have|they will
