Tune into a few performance gurus, and it’s easy to think that a nap is a powerful tool: not just a sticking plaster following restless night, but a path to enhanced cognition, better spirits and maybe a faster 5k run time. Professional soccer players swear by it – and so are professional piano players, fighters & media moguls. However, if you don't have a room for napping or a job that encourages frequent naps, are there *really* worthwhile perks to a quick nap for it to be worth the kerfuffle? Does there exist a surefire technique to fall asleep fast? And can you really guarantee you’ll wake up feeling refreshed, not worse?
Identifying The Nap Motivation
“There are three key drivers for daytime sleep in the adult population,” notes a leading circadian rhythm researcher. “Firstly, there's known as recovery napping, that is what you do when you’ve had insufficient sleep the night before. Secondly, there's prophylactic napping, where you are pre-empting insufficient sleep coming up, for example during overnight shifts. Finally, there's “hedonic napping”, which simply comes down to desire: you get a chance to sleep in the daytime, and it's pleasant to indulge.”
The first thing to undertake, so, is to think about your reason for napping. “Napping can be genuinely useful when nighttime sleep is disturbed due to causes you cannot change – for instance, when you are a parent of a newborn, or if you are healing after being ill or intense exercise,” states a sleep physiologist. “But if you nap since your sleep at night seems unreliable or poor, that’s often an indicator your sleep drive is not at the level required. In those cases, naps can become part of the problem, rather than the answer. Utilize daytime sleep for brief periods to address immediate needs – the main goal ought to remain a strong and predictable overnight rest.”
The Perfect Nap Duration
Therefore that napping must not be long enough to interfere with your nighttime sleep, and ideally are not recommended after about 3pm (based on when you go to bed overnight). What duration is wise? Advice differs. From the most-cited studies on the subject, experts discovered that space travelers had a boost of up to 54% in attentiveness and a 34% increase in cognitive performance post a 26-minute snooze (technically, this counted a six-minute nodding-off period). “I recommend setting an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – most people are asleep quickly,” says a sleep expert. “There is plenty of advice around regarding the optimal amount for sleeping, however, that can cause people to feel more worried than anything else – and the worst thing you can do when trying to get to sleep is to be anxious.”
If you plan to sleep for longer, avoid the 45 to 60 minute range that promotes sleep inertia, that foggy state upon waking. “Studies indicates it’s better to take a lengthier snooze of 60 to 90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” notes the professor. “45 minutes is sufficient to plunge you into deep sleep making it more likely to feel sluggish upon awakening – whereas if you extend it slightly longer to an hour or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to be completing of a sleep cycle and will probably get up feeling more refreshed. But if you're dozing for a long period, it can influence how you sleep that night.”
Establishing an Ideal Snooze Setting
When it comes to specific techniques, recommendations vary. Some experts suggest using comparable habits you use to encourage restful sleep: a peaceful area, a comfortable bed and as much darkness as is feasible. Others suggest that you should just doze on the sofa with ambient lighting is available – both to discourage sleep inertia and to “protect” your bed as the space you associate with nighttime rest. “Sleep is something really tricky to force,” explains an expert. “Lacking any sleepiness, it becomes harder to lie down and practically command yourself to nod off. There must be some sleep pressure present to initiate sleep to begin with. Personally, I can often take a nap in broad daylight and awaken on my own without an alarm, though, what aids a lot of people is to anticipate a moment when they are naturally somewhat sleepy and just gently ease into sleep.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and when options are scarce – for example, if attempting to grab 40 winks on a train or in a work pod – it is perfectly fine to employ some accessories. “When I’m working with professional sportspeople, I suggest that they avoid becoming accustomed to napping in bed, as they’re going to have|they will
