Tune into a few performance experts, and it’s easy to convince yourself that napping is a secret weapon: more than a sticking plaster after poor sleep, but a shortcut to enhanced cognition, a brighter outlook and maybe improved athletic performance. Premier League footballers are all at it – as do musicians, fighters and high-profile executives. However, if you lack a room for napping or employment that encourages regular snoozing, is it *truly* enough benefits to a short sleep to justify the effort? Is there a surefire technique to get to sleep quickly enough? Plus, is it possible to honestly promise you will arise feeling improved, instead of groggy?
Exploring The Reasons for Napping
“There are three main reasons for taking a nap among most adults,” says a professor of sleep and circadian science professor. “Firstly, there's what we call make-up sleep, which is the action you take after experiencing insufficient sleep overnight. Another is prophylactic napping, where you are pre-empting insufficient sleep in the future, for example when working on night shifts. Finally, there's “hedonic napping”, which simply boils down to the wish: you get a moment to nap during the day, and it's pleasant to indulge.”
The primary task to do, therefore, is to think about your nap motivation. “Naps can be genuinely useful when night sleeping is disturbed due to causes beyond your control – for instance, when you are caring for an infant, or you’re recovering after being ill or intense exercise,” explains a sleep specialist. “But if you take a nap because your night sleep is unstable or unreliable, that is frequently a signal your need for sleep is not as strong as it needs to be. Under those circumstances, napping can become part of the issue, instead of the fix. Employ naps as a short-term solution to address immediate needs – the priority ought to remain a strong and predictable sleep at night.”
The Perfect Nap Duration
This implies that napping ought not to be sufficiently lengthy to disrupt your sleep at night, and ideally shouldn’t take place after about 3pm (based on when you sleep at night). What duration is wise? Advice differs. In one of the most referenced research regarding daytime sleep, experts found that astronauts showed up to a 54% increase in attentiveness plus a 34% rise in performance post a 26-minute snooze (technically, this counted an initial six-minute falling asleep phase). “I recommend setting a timer for half an hour or less – the majority fall asleep quickly,” says a sleep coach. “You'll find much recommendations concerning the ideal number of minutes, however, that can lead individuals to become more stressed than anything else – and the least helpful action you can possibly do while aiming to get to sleep is to stress over it.”
Should you decide to take an extended nap, avoid the 45 to 60 minute range that encourages sleep inertia, that disoriented sensation when you wake. “Research suggests it's more effective to opt for an extended nap of 60 to 90 minutes than a medium-length one,” explains the expert. “45 minutes is long enough to send you into slow-wave sleep making it more likely to feel disoriented upon awakening – while if you nap for a bit longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you will probably to finish a natural sleep cycle and are likely to wake up feeling more refreshed. However, if you're dozing for a long period, it will affect how you sleep later that night.”
Finding the Right Snooze Setting
When it comes to specific techniques, suggestions are diverse. A few professionals propose adopting similar routines one would use to promote restful sleep: a quiet room, a comfortable bed and minimal light as is feasible. Some advise that it's fine to just doze on a couch in whatever light is available – to prevent sleep inertia and to “protect” your bedroom as the environment you associate with nighttime rest. “Napping is something really tricky to will,” notes a specialist. “If you don’t have any sleepiness, it is more challenging to lie down and essentially command yourself to nod off. You need a natural inclination present to initiate sleep in the first place. Personally, I can often nap during the day and wake up naturally without an alarm, however, what assists a lot of people is to look for a time where they feel naturally somewhat sleepy and calmly ease into sleep.”
It’s worth experimenting, and when you have few options – for instance, when aiming to fit in a quick nap on a train or in a soundproof office pod – there’s nothing wrong with bringing sleep aids. “When I’m working with elite athletes, I recommend that they avoid becoming accustomed to napping in bed, because they’re going to have|they will
