Listen to enough productivity experts, and it’s simple to think that a nap is a powerful tool: not just a quick fix after poor sleep, but a route towards enhanced cognition, improved mood and perhaps improved athletic performance. Premier League athletes do it regularly – as do professional piano players, fighters & high-profile executives. But if you lack a special sleep space or employment that allows daytime sleep, is it *truly* enough benefits to a short sleep to justify the effort? Is there a reliable way to fall asleep fast? Plus, is it possible to really guarantee you will get up feeling refreshed, not worse?
Understanding The Reasons for Napping
“We can identify three primary motivations for daytime sleep among most adults,” notes a professor of circadian rhythm specialist. “The first is known as compensatory napping, that is what you do when you’ve had a lack of sleep overnight. The second is prophylactic napping, which involves pre-empting sleep loss in the future, for example during overnight shifts. Finally, there's “appetitive drive”, which basically boils down to the wish: you have a chance to sleep during the day, and it's pleasant to do it.”
The primary task to do, then, is consider your nap motivation. “Naps can be genuinely useful when overnight rest is being disrupted for reasons outside your control – for instance, if you’re a parent of a newborn, or recovering from illness or intense exercise,” states a sleep expert. “Yet when you nap because your night sleep seems unreliable or unreliable, that is frequently a signal your body's sleep pressure is not at the level it should be. Under those circumstances, daytime sleep can turn into a contributing factor, rather than the answer. Employ naps for brief periods for temporary issues – the main goal should still be a strong and predictable overnight rest.”
The Ideal Nap Duration
This means that naps must not be long enough to interfere with your nighttime sleep, and ideally shouldn’t take place in the late afternoon (depending on the time you retire in the evening). How long is sensible? Guidelines are mixed. From the most referenced research about napping, experts discovered that crew members experienced up to a 54% increase in alertness plus a 34% rise in cognitive performance post a 26-minute snooze (technically, this involved a six-minute sleep onset time). “My advice is setting an alarm for 20-30 minutes – the majority are asleep quickly,” says a sleep coach. “There’s a lot of recommendations concerning the ideal number of time, but that tends to cause people to feel more worried above all – and the most counterproductive thing one can do when attempting to get to sleep is worry about it.”
Should you decide to nap for a longer period, bypass the 45-60 minute window that encourages sleep inertia, that foggy state when you awaken. “Research would say it is preferable to take an extended nap lasting 60-90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” explains the sleep scientist. “Three-quarters of an hour is enough time to put you into slow-wave sleep and you’re more likely to feel disoriented when you wake up – however, if you extend it slightly longer to a full sleep cycle, you’re likely to be on the end a full cycle and will probably get up feeling more rejuvenated. Though if you’re sleeping for an hour and a half, it may impact the quality of your sleep that night.”
Establishing an Ideal Nap Environment
When it comes to specific techniques, suggestions are diverse. Certain specialists propose using similar routines one would use to promote quality nighttime sleep: a quiet room, a comfortable bed and minimal light as is feasible. Others suggest that one could merely snooze in a chair in the existing light is present – to avoid that groggy feeling and to “protect” your bedroom as the place your brain links with proper sleep. “Falling asleep is quite challenging to command,” notes a sleep coach. “Lacking any sleepiness, it is tougher to get comfortable and practically command yourself to nod off. There’s got to be some sleep pressure present to start the process in the first place. For me, it's possible to take a nap in full light and wake up naturally without a timer, but what helps most folks is to anticipate a moment where they feel naturally slightly tired and just gently ease into sleep.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and should options are scarce – such as, if attempting to fit in some shut-eye while traveling or in a work pod – it is perfectly fine to use some accessories. “When I’m working with professional sportspeople, I suggest that they avoid becoming accustomed to sleeping in their bed, as they’re going to have|they will
