Listen to plenty of productivity experts, making it simple to think that napping is a powerful tool: rather than a sticking plaster after a bad night’s sleep, but a path towards enhanced cognition, better spirits and maybe a faster 5k run time. Premier League soccer players swear by it – and so are professional piano players, UFC champions & high-profile executives. Yet, when you don't have a dedicated nap-room or employment that permits frequent naps, can there *honestly* sufficient advantages to a short sleep to merit the kerfuffle? Can you find a reliable way to nod off promptly? Plus, is it possible to honestly promise you’ll wake up feeling better, rather than worse?
Understanding Your Nap Motivation
“We can identify three key drivers for napping for many people,” explains a professor of circadian rhythm professor. “Firstly, there's termed make-up sleep, that is what happens following poor sleep the previous night. Another is preparatory napping, where you are preparing for sleep loss ahead, for instance during graveyard shifts. The third reason is “appetitive drive”, which basically boils down to wanting: there is a chance to doze in the daytime, and it feels nice to indulge.”
The first thing to undertake, so, is consider why you want to nap. “Naps can be truly beneficial when overnight rest gets interrupted because of factors beyond your control – for example, if you’re a parent of a newborn, or you’re recovering after being ill or strenuous activity,” states a sleep specialist. “Yet when you take a nap because your nighttime sleep is unstable or unreliable, that’s often a sign your sleep drive is not as strong as required. In such situations, daytime sleep can turn into part of the problem, rather than the answer. Use napping as a short-term solution for short-term problems – the focus should still be a solid and consistent night’s sleep.”
The Perfect Nap Duration
This means that daytime sleep must not be too extended to interfere with your overnight rest, and ideally should not occur in the late afternoon (contingent on what time you retire overnight). What's a reasonable length? Recommendations vary. From the most-cited studies on the subject, researchers at Nasa discovered that crew members showed up to a 54% increase in attentiveness and a 34% increase in cognitive performance after a 26-minute nap (technically, this involved a six-minute long nodding-off period). “I’d suggest setting an alarm for 20-30 minutes – the majority are asleep within 10 minutes,” notes a sleep expert. “You'll find much recommendations concerning the ideal number for sleeping, however, that can cause people to feel more stressed than anything else – and the most counterproductive thing you can do when attempting to get to sleep is worry about it.”
If you’re going to sleep for longer, avoid the 45 to 60 minute range that encourages sleep grogginess, that spaced-out feeling when you wake. “Research indicates it’s better to have an extended nap of one to one and a half hours than a medium-length one,” explains the sleep scientist. “45 minutes is enough time to plunge you into slow-wave sleep and you’re more likely to feel sluggish upon awakening – however, if you extend it a little longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you will probably to be on the end a natural sleep cycle and should get up feeling more rejuvenated. However, if you’re sleeping for a long period, it will affect how you sleep that night.”
Creating the Perfect Nap Environment
As for specific techniques, recommendations vary. Some experts propose employing comparable habits you’d use to foster a good night’s sleep: a quiet room, a supportive surface and as much darkness as you can manage. Some advise that you should merely snooze in a chair in whatever light is available – to avoid post-nap grogginess and to “protect” your sleeping quarters as the environment your brain links with proper sleep. “Falling asleep is something really tricky to command,” notes an expert. “Without any sleepiness, it becomes harder to recline and essentially tell yourself to fall asleep. There must be some sleep pressure present to initiate sleep to begin with. I can usually take a nap in broad daylight and naturally wake up alarm-free, though, what aids a lot of people is to anticipate a moment where they feel naturally slightly tired and then simply relax into it.”
Experimentation is key, and when options are scarce – for example, when aiming to grab a quick nap on a train or at the office – there’s nothing wrong to employ some accessories. “Coaching footballers, I suggest that they avoid becoming accustomed to sleeping in their bed, because they’re going to have|they will
