Hear plenty of productivity podcasters, and you'll be tempting to believe that a nap is a powerful tool: rather than a quick fix following a bad night’s sleep, but a route to enhanced cognition, a brighter outlook and maybe improved athletic performance. Elite footballers do it regularly – as do concert pianists, mixed martial artists and high-profile executives. But if you don't have a dedicated nap-room or employment that encourages daytime sleep, is it *truly* worthwhile perks to a short sleep to justify the effort? Does there exist a surefire technique to nod off promptly? Plus, is it possible to honestly promise you’ll wake up feeling improved, not worse?
Identifying Your Nap Motivation
“Experts note three key drivers for napping among most adults,” notes a professor of sleep and circadian science researcher. “One is termed recovery napping, that is the action you take following insufficient sleep the previous night. Secondly, there's preparatory napping, which involves anticipating a sleep deficit in the future, for example during overnight shifts. The third reason is “pleasure-based sleep”, which essentially boils down to desire: there is a moment to nap during the day, and it's pleasant to indulge.”
The initial step to do, then, is to think about your reason for napping. “Daytime sleep can be genuinely useful when overnight rest gets interrupted for reasons you cannot change – such as, when you are caring for an infant, or recovering from illness or heavy physical exertion,” says a sleep specialist. “Yet when you nap because your sleep at night is unstable or unreliable, that can be an indicator your body's sleep pressure is not at the level it should be. Under those circumstances, naps can become part of the issue, rather than the answer. Employ naps as a short-term solution to address immediate needs – the main goal must always be a robust and regular overnight rest.”
The Ideal Nap Duration
This implies that naps must not be long enough to disrupt your overnight rest, and best should not occur after about 3pm (contingent on what time you retire overnight). What's a reasonable length? Advice differs. In one of the most referenced research about napping, experts found that astronauts had a boost of up to 54% in vigilance and a 34% boost in task performance post a 26-minute snooze (to be precise, this counted a six-minute nodding-off period). “I recommend setting an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – the majority are asleep within 10 minutes,” says a sleep coach. “You'll find much recommendations about the perfect length of minutes, yet that often lead individuals to become more worried than anything else – and the least helpful action you can do when trying to fall asleep is to be anxious.”
If you’re going to sleep for longer, bypass the period between 45 and 60 minutes that encourages that sluggish feeling, that disoriented sensation when you wake. “Studies suggests it’s better to have a lengthier snooze of one to one and a half hours than a medium-length one,” notes the expert. “Three-quarters of an hour is long enough to plunge you into deep sleep and it is more probable to feel sluggish when you get up – whereas if you nap for a little longer to a full sleep cycle, you will probably to be completing a natural sleep cycle and are likely to wake up feeling more rejuvenated. But if you're dozing for an hour and a half, it can influence your sleep that night.”
Establishing an Ideal Sleep Space
Regarding specific techniques, recommendations vary. Certain specialists propose adopting the same protocol you’d use to foster restful sleep: a peaceful area, a comfortable bed and minimal light as is feasible. Some advise that it's fine to merely snooze in a chair in the existing light is present – both to discourage post-nap grogginess and to preserve your sleeping quarters as the place your mind associates with proper sleep. “Napping is quite challenging to command,” notes a sleep coach. “Lacking any drowsiness, it becomes harder to recline and essentially tell 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 in broad daylight and naturally wake up alarm-free, though, what aids most folks is to wait for an instance that they’re naturally somewhat sleepy and then simply relax into it.”
It’s worth experimenting, and when your choices are limited – such as, when aiming to fit in 40 winks during a commute or in a soundproof office pod – it is perfectly fine to use some accessories. “Coaching professional sportspeople, I suggest that they avoid becoming accustomed to napping in bed, since they’re going to have|they will
