Tune into a few performance gurus, and you'll be tempting to believe that a nap is a superpower: not just a band-aid after restless night, but a shortcut towards improved recall, improved mood and possibly quicker running times. Elite footballers swear by it – as do concert pianists, UFC champions and media moguls. Yet, when you haven’t got a dedicated nap-room or a job that allows regular snoozing, is it *truly* enough benefits to a burst of shut-eye for it to be worth the effort? Is there a reliable way to fall asleep fast? Plus, is it possible to honestly promise you will get up feeling better, instead of groggy?
Identifying The Reasons for Napping
“Experts note three primary motivations for daytime sleep for many people,” explains a leading circadian rhythm researcher. “Firstly, there's termed recovery napping, that is the action you take after experiencing poor sleep the night before. Secondly, there's pre-emptive sleep, where you are anticipating insufficient sleep ahead, such as if you’re working graveyard shifts. Finally, there's “hedonic napping”, which simply is about desire: you get a moment to nap in the afternoon, and it's pleasant to indulge.”
The primary task to undertake, therefore, is to examine your reason for napping. “Napping can be genuinely useful when overnight rest gets interrupted because of factors you cannot change – for instance, when you are a parent of a newborn, or recovering after being ill or intense exercise,” explains a sleep expert. “Yet when you take a nap since your nighttime sleep is unstable or unreliable, that is frequently an indicator your body's sleep pressure is not at the level required. In those cases, napping can become a contributing factor, not the solution. Utilize daytime sleep as a short-term solution to address immediate needs – the priority must always be a robust and regular sleep at night.”
The Ideal Nap Length
This implies that daytime sleep ought not to be sufficiently lengthy to interfere with your nighttime sleep, and ideally shouldn’t take place after about 3pm (contingent on the time you go to bed overnight). How long is sensible? Guidelines are mixed. From the most-cited studies regarding daytime sleep, experts noted that space travelers showed improvements of over 50% in vigilance and a 34% boost in task performance following a nap of 26 minutes (to be precise, this counted a six-minute long nodding-off period). “My advice is setting an alarm for half an hour or less – many individuals are asleep within 10 minutes,” notes a sleep expert. “There is plenty of recommendations concerning the perfect length of minutes, however, that can make people feel more stressed than anything else – and the worst thing you can do while aiming to nod off is worry about it.”
If you’re going to nap for a longer period, avoid the period between 45 and 60 minutes that encourages that sluggish feeling, that foggy state when you wake. “Research suggests it’s better to take a longer nap of 60 to 90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” notes the expert. “45 minutes is long enough to send you into deep sleep and it is more probable to feel groggy upon awakening – while if you take it a bit longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you will probably to be on the end a natural sleep cycle and are likely to get up feeling more refreshed. However, if you’re sleeping for a long period, it may impact your sleep in the evening.”
Establishing the Right Snooze Setting
When it comes to specific techniques, recommendations vary. Certain specialists suggest adopting comparable habits you use to encourage restful sleep: a peaceful area, a cozy bed and minimal light as possible. Alternatively, experts propose that it's fine to simply nap on a couch in the existing light is present – to prevent post-nap grogginess and to preserve your bed as the space your brain links with nighttime rest. “Sleep is something really tricky to will,” explains an expert. “Lacking any sleepiness, it is tougher to lie down and basically instruct yourself to nod off. You need some sleep pressure there to initiate sleep initially. I can usually take a nap during the day and wake up naturally alarm-free, however, what assists many individuals is to look for a time that they’re naturally feeling a bit drowsy and calmly relax into it.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and when you have few options – for instance, if attempting to squeeze in some shut-eye on a train or in a work pod – it's acceptable to use some accessories. “In my work with elite athletes, I recommend that they avoid becoming accustomed to sleeping in their bed, because they’re going to have|they will
