Tune into a few performance experts, making it tempting to think that napping is a powerful tool: more than a sticking plaster after restless night, but a route to a better memory, a brighter outlook and perhaps improved athletic performance. Professional athletes swear by it – as do concert pianists, UFC champions and high-profile executives. However, if you don't have a special sleep space or employment that encourages frequent naps, can there *honestly* enough benefits to a quick nap to justify the hassle? Can you find a reliable way to fall asleep fast? And can you truly ensure you will get up feeling refreshed, rather than worse?
Understanding Your Nap Motivation
“Experts note three main reasons for daytime sleep among most adults,” notes a professor of sleep and circadian science researcher. “Firstly, there's termed recovery napping, essentially what happens following a lack of sleep the previous night. The second is preparatory napping, when you are anticipating sleep loss coming up, for instance when working overnight shifts. The third reason is “appetitive drive”, which basically is about wanting: you have an opportunity to nap in the afternoon, and it's enjoyable to do it.”
The first thing to undertake, then, is to examine your nap motivation. “Daytime sleep can be genuinely useful when nighttime sleep is disturbed due to causes beyond your control – such as, for a parent of a newborn, or you’re recovering from sickness or strenuous activity,” explains a sleep expert. “However, if you take a nap as your night sleep is unstable or broken, that can be an indicator your sleep drive is not where it needs to be. In such situations, daytime sleep can turn into a contributing factor, rather than the answer. Employ naps for brief periods for temporary issues – the priority ought to remain a strong and predictable night’s sleep.”
The Ideal Snooze Time
Therefore that naps shouldn’t be long enough to disrupt your sleep at night, and preferably are not recommended in the late afternoon (contingent on when you go to bed in the evening). What duration is wise? Guidelines are mixed. In one of a prominent study regarding daytime sleep, space agency scientists discovered that space travelers had improvements of over 50% in attentiveness and a 34% boost in performance following a nap of 26 minutes (in detail, this involved an initial six-minute nodding-off period). “I’d suggest using an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – many individuals are asleep in under ten minutes,” says a sleep coach. “You'll find much advice around about the perfect length of minutes, however, that can lead individuals to become more worried than anything else – and the most counterproductive thing you can possibly do when trying to get to sleep is worry about it.”
If you plan to sleep for longer, bypass the 45 to 60 minute range that encourages sleep grogginess, that spaced-out feeling when you wake. “Studies suggests it’s better to take a longer nap of 60 to 90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” explains the expert. “Forty-five minutes is sufficient to plunge you into deep sleep making it more likely to feel disoriented upon awakening – whereas if you nap for a bit longer to 60 or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to be completing a full cycle and are likely to get up feeling more rejuvenated. However, if you're dozing for 90 minutes, it may impact the quality of your sleep in the evening.”
Finding an Ideal Nap Environment
Regarding precise methods, recommendations vary. Some experts suggest adopting similar routines one would use to foster quality nighttime sleep: a peaceful area, a comfortable bed and minimal light as is feasible. Alternatively, experts propose that it's fine to just doze in a chair in whatever light is available – both to discourage sleep inertia and to preserve your bedroom as the place your mind associates with nighttime rest. “Sleep is something really tricky to command,” says a sleep coach. “If you don’t have the urge to sleep, it becomes harder to recline and basically command yourself to nod off. There must be some sleep pressure present to initiate sleep to begin with. I can usually nap in broad daylight and awaken on my own without a timer, though, what aids a lot of people is to wait for an instance that they’re naturally slightly tired and then simply ease into sleep.”
It’s worth experimenting, and should you have few options – for example, when aiming to grab 40 winks during a commute or in a soundproof office pod – there’s nothing wrong with bringing some accessories. “When I’m working with professional sportspeople, I advise that they not rely on their own bed for naps, since they’re going to have|they will
