Tune into enough self-improvement podcasters, and you'll be simple to think that napping is a powerful tool: more than a band-aid following a bad night’s sleep, but a route to improved recall, better spirits and maybe a faster 5k run time. Premier League footballers swear by it – and so are musicians, UFC champions and business leaders. But if you lack a special sleep space or employment that allows regular snoozing, is it *truly* sufficient advantages to a burst of shut-eye to merit the kerfuffle? Is there a reliable way to nod off promptly? Plus, is it possible to truly ensure you will get up feeling refreshed, not worse?
Identifying Your Drive to Snooze
“Experts note three primary motivations for daytime sleep for many people,” notes a professor of sleep science researcher. “Firstly, there's what we call compensatory napping, that is what you do after experiencing poor sleep overnight. Another is prophylactic napping, where you are pre-empting insufficient sleep ahead, for instance if you’re working on night shifts. The third reason is “appetitive drive”, which basically boils down to wanting: you have an opportunity to nap in the afternoon, and it feels nice to indulge.”
The first thing to consider, therefore, is consider your nap motivation. “Daytime sleep can be really helpful when night sleeping gets interrupted because of factors you cannot change – for example, for caring for an infant, or if you are healing from illness or heavy physical exertion,” explains a sleep specialist. “However, if you’re napping as your nighttime sleep feels fragile or poor, that can be an indicator your body's sleep pressure is not as strong as required. In those cases, naps can become a contributing factor, instead of the fix. Employ naps for brief periods to address immediate needs – the main goal should still be a robust and regular sleep at night.”
The Optimal Nap Duration
This means that daytime sleep must not be sufficiently lengthy to affect your sleep at night, and ideally are not recommended in the late afternoon (contingent on the time you sleep at night). How long is sensible? Recommendations vary. Among the most referenced research about napping, experts noted that crew members had improvements of over 50% in vigilance plus a 34% rise in cognitive performance following a nap of 26 minutes (to be precise, this involved a six-minute sleep onset time). “I recommend setting a timer for half an hour or less – most people fall asleep quickly,” says a sleep expert. “There is plenty of guidance out there about the perfect length for sleeping, yet that often lead individuals to become more stressed than anything else – and the least helpful action you can do when attempting to fall asleep is worry about it.”
Should you decide to nap for a longer period, avoid the period between 45 and 60 minutes that promotes sleep grogginess, that foggy state when you awaken. “The science suggests it's more effective to take a longer nap of 60 to 90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” says the professor. “45 minutes is enough time to plunge you into deep sleep and you’re more likely to feel disoriented when you wake up – whereas if you take it slightly longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you’re likely to finish a natural sleep cycle and will probably wake up feeling more refreshed. However, if you nap for an hour and a half, it will affect your sleep later that night.”
Creating the Perfect Nap Environment
When it comes to specific techniques, suggestions are diverse. Some experts suggest using the same protocol you’d use to encourage a good night’s sleep: a peaceful area, a supportive surface and minimal light as you can manage. Others suggest that it's fine to simply nap on a couch in the existing light is available – to prevent that groggy feeling and to maintain your bed as the space your mind associates with nighttime rest. “Falling asleep is notoriously difficult to command,” says a specialist. “Without any drowsiness, it is tougher to lie down and essentially instruct yourself to fall asleep. There must be some sleep pressure there to bring the sleep on in the first place. For me, it's possible to nap in broad daylight and awaken on my own without an alarm, but what helps many individuals is to look for an instance that they’re naturally slightly tired and calmly ease into sleep.”
It’s worth experimenting, and when options are scarce – for example, if you’re trying to grab a quick nap while traveling or at the office – it is perfectly fine to employ some accessories. “When I’m working with professional sportspeople, I recommend that they don’t get used to their own bed for naps, because they’re going to have|they will
