Hear a few productivity experts, and it’s simple to believe that a nap is a superpower: not just a quick fix following restless night, but a path to enhanced cognition, improved mood and possibly quicker running times. Elite footballers do it regularly – as do musicians, mixed martial artists and media moguls. However, if you lack a special sleep space or employment that encourages frequent naps, is it *truly* enough benefits to a short sleep to merit the kerfuffle? Is there a surefire technique to fall asleep fast? Plus, is it possible to honestly promise you will arise feeling refreshed, rather than worse?
Identifying Your Drive to Snooze
“There are three main reasons for napping among most adults,” says a leading circadian rhythm specialist. “The first is known as recovery napping, that is what you do following a lack of sleep the previous night. Secondly, there's pre-emptive sleep, which involves preparing for a sleep deficit ahead, for example during graveyard shifts. The third is called “pleasure-based sleep”, which essentially comes down to the wish: you have an opportunity to doze during the day, and it feels nice to nap.”
The first thing to do, therefore, is consider your reason for napping. “Napping can be truly beneficial when overnight rest is being disrupted because of factors you cannot change – for instance, when you are caring for an infant, or recovering from sickness or strenuous activity,” states a sleep expert. “But if you’re napping as your nighttime sleep feels fragile or unreliable, that is frequently an indicator your need for sleep is not where it needs to be. In those cases, napping can become part of the issue, not the solution. Utilize daytime sleep as a temporary measure for short-term problems – the main goal should still be a solid and consistent night’s sleep.”
The Ideal Nap Duration
This means that napping must not be long enough to affect your overnight rest, and ideally are not recommended in the late afternoon (based on what time you go to bed overnight). What's a reasonable length? Advice differs. From the most referenced research about napping, space agency scientists discovered that crew members experienced a boost of up to 54% in alertness plus a 34% rise in task performance following a nap of 26 minutes (to be precise, this included a six-minute long nodding-off period). “I’d suggest using an alarm for half an hour or less – most people doze off within 10 minutes,” says a sleep expert. “You'll find much guidance out there regarding the perfect length of time, however, that can cause people to feel more anxious than anything else – and the worst thing one can do when attempting to fall asleep is to stress over it.”
If you’re going to sleep for longer, avoid the period between 45 and 60 minutes that promotes that sluggish feeling, that foggy state upon waking. “Studies would say it's more effective to take a longer nap of one to one and a half hours than a medium-length one,” explains the professor. “45 minutes is sufficient to put you into a deep sleep stage and you’re more likely to feel sluggish when you wake up – whereas if you take it a bit longer to a full sleep cycle, you’re likely to be completing a full cycle and will probably awaken feeling more alert. However, if you’re sleeping for 90 minutes, it may impact your sleep in the evening.”
Finding the Right Snooze Setting
When it comes to precise methods, suggestions are diverse. Some experts recommend adopting similar routines you use to foster restful sleep: a silent space, a supportive surface and as much darkness as is feasible. Others suggest that one could merely snooze on the sofa in whatever light is available – to avoid post-nap grogginess and to “protect” your sleeping quarters as the space you associate with proper sleep. “Sleep is something really tricky to will,” notes a specialist. “Lacking any sleepiness, it is more challenging to lie down and essentially instruct yourself to go to sleep. There’s got to be some sleep pressure present to initiate sleep in the first place. For me, it's possible to take a nap during the day and awaken on my own without an alarm, however, what assists most folks is to wait for a moment when they are naturally somewhat sleepy and calmly ease into sleep.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and should options are scarce – such as, if attempting to fit in 40 winks during a commute or in a work pod – there’s nothing wrong to employ sleep aids. “In my work with elite athletes, I suggest that they avoid becoming accustomed to napping in bed, because they’re going to have|they will
