Listen to enough self-improvement gurus, making it simple to think that napping is a powerful tool: more than a sticking plaster following restless night, but a path to enhanced cognition, a brighter outlook and perhaps a faster 5k run time. Elite soccer players swear by it – as do musicians, UFC champions & business leaders. Yet, when you don't have a special sleep space or a job that encourages daytime sleep, is it *truly* enough benefits to a burst of shut-eye to merit the hassle? Can you find a dependable method to nod off promptly? And can you truly ensure you will arise feeling improved, not worse?
Understanding Your Drive to Snooze
“Experts note three key drivers for taking a nap for many people,” says a professor of circadian rhythm researcher. “The first is known as compensatory napping, that is the action you take when you’ve had poor sleep the night before. Secondly, there's pre-emptive sleep, where you are preparing for insufficient sleep ahead, for instance if you’re working overnight shifts. Finally, there's “appetitive drive”, which simply boils down to desire: you get a moment to nap during the day, and it feels nice to nap.”
The first thing to do, so, is to think about why you want to nap. “Naps can be truly beneficial when night sleeping is disturbed due to causes beyond your control – for instance, when you are caring for an infant, or you’re recovering from sickness or strenuous activity,” says a sleep physiologist. “Yet when you’re napping since your nighttime sleep feels fragile or unreliable, that can be a signal your sleep drive is not where required. In such situations, naps can become a contributing factor, instead of the fix. Employ naps for brief periods for short-term problems – the priority must always be a strong and predictable night’s sleep.”
The Perfect Nap Duration
This means that naps ought not to be long enough to affect your nighttime sleep, and preferably are not recommended in the late afternoon (contingent on what time you sleep at night). What duration is wise? Guidelines are mixed. In one of the most referenced research about napping, experts found that space travelers showed improvements of over 50% in vigilance and a 34% boost in task performance after a 26-minute nap (in detail, this included an initial six-minute sleep onset time). “I’d suggest setting a timer for 20 to 30 minutes – the majority fall asleep quickly,” notes a specialist. “There is plenty of advice around regarding the perfect length of minutes, yet that often lead individuals to become more anxious above all – and the most counterproductive thing you can possibly do while aiming to fall asleep is to be anxious.”
If you plan to sleep for longer, avoid the period between 45 and 60 minutes that induces sleep inertia, that spaced-out feeling when you wake. “Research indicates it’s better to take a lengthier snooze lasting 60-90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” explains the sleep scientist. “Forty-five minutes is enough time to put you into deep sleep and you’re more likely to feel sluggish when you get up – while if you take it a little longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you will probably to be completing a natural sleep cycle and are likely to wake up feeling more refreshed. Though if you're dozing for an hour and a half, it will affect your sleep that night.”
Finding the Right Sleep Space
As for exact methodologies, suggestions are diverse. A few professionals suggest employing comparable habits you’d use to foster restful sleep: a peaceful area, a cozy bed and as much darkness as possible. Others suggest that you should merely snooze on the sofa in the existing light is available – to prevent sleep inertia and to preserve your bed as the space you associate with *real* sleep. “Falling asleep is something really tricky to will,” notes a specialist. “Lacking the urge to sleep, it becomes harder to recline and practically tell yourself to fall asleep. There’s got to be some sleep pressure available to bring the sleep on to begin with. Personally, I can often take a nap in full light and wake up naturally without a timer, however, what assists a lot of people is to anticipate a time that they’re naturally feeling a bit drowsy and then simply ease into sleep.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and should you have few options – for instance, when aiming to fit in a quick nap during a commute or at the office – it's acceptable with bringing a few tools. “When I’m working with elite athletes, I advise that they don’t get used to their own bed for naps, as they’re going to have|they will
