Tune into enough performance gurus, and you'll be easy to believe that napping is a powerful tool: not just a sticking plaster after a bad night’s sleep, but a shortcut to enhanced cognition, improved mood and maybe a faster 5k run time. Premier League soccer players swear by it – as do professional piano players, fighters & business leaders. But if you lack a dedicated nap-room or a career that encourages regular snoozing, are there *really* enough benefits to a quick nap to justify the effort? Can you find a surefire technique to fall asleep fast? And can you truly ensure you will get up feeling refreshed, rather than worse?
Identifying Your Drive to Snooze
“Experts note three main reasons for taking a nap among most adults,” explains a professor of sleep and circadian science specialist. “Firstly, there's termed compensatory napping, which is the action you take following poor sleep overnight. The second is preparatory napping, when you are preparing for insufficient sleep coming up, such as during on night shifts. The third is called “pleasure-based sleep”, which simply boils down to desire: there is a moment to nap during the day, and it's pleasant to indulge.”
The primary task to consider, so, is to examine your reason for napping. “Naps can be really helpful when overnight rest is being disrupted due to causes outside your control – such as, when you are caring for an infant, or recovering from sickness or strenuous activity,” says a sleep physiologist. “However, if you nap because your sleep at night is unstable or unreliable, that is frequently a signal your body's sleep pressure is not at the level required. In such situations, naps can become a contributing factor, not the solution. Employ naps as a temporary measure for temporary issues – the main goal should still be a robust and regular overnight rest.”
The Ideal Snooze Time
This means that napping must not be too extended to affect your overnight rest, and preferably should not occur post-3 p.m. (based on what time you retire at night). What's a reasonable length? Advice differs. In one of the most referenced research regarding daytime sleep, experts noted that space travelers showed up to a 54% increase in attentiveness and a 34% increase in task performance after a 26-minute nap (technically, this involved an initial six-minute nodding-off period). “I recommend setting an alarm for half an hour or less – many individuals are asleep in under ten minutes,” says a sleep expert. “There is plenty of guidance out there concerning the ideal number of minutes, yet that often cause people to feel more worried than anything else – and the most counterproductive thing you can do when attempting to fall asleep is worry about it.”
If you plan to nap for a longer period, avoid the period between 45 and 60 minutes that encourages sleep grogginess, that disoriented sensation upon waking. “Studies indicates it's more effective to take a longer nap lasting 60-90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” notes the expert. “Forty-five minutes is long enough to plunge you into deep sleep and it is more probable to feel groggy upon awakening – whereas if you extend it a bit longer to a full sleep cycle, it's likely you'll to be completing of a sleep cycle and should wake up feeling more rejuvenated. Though if you're dozing for 90 minutes, it can influence your sleep in the evening.”
Establishing the Perfect Snooze Setting
As for precise methods, suggestions are diverse. A few professionals suggest using the same protocol you’d use to encourage quality nighttime sleep: a silent space, a comfortable bed and as much darkness as possible. Some advise that one could merely snooze on a couch with ambient lighting is available – both to discourage that groggy feeling and to preserve your bed as the space your mind associates with proper sleep. “Napping is something really tricky to will,” says a specialist. “Without any drowsiness, it is more challenging to recline and practically command yourself to fall asleep. There must be some sleep pressure available to bring the sleep on initially. Personally, I can often nap in full light and naturally wake up alarm-free, though, what aids many individuals is to anticipate an instance when they are naturally somewhat sleepy and just gently allow sleep to come.”
Experimentation is key, and when your choices are limited – such as, when aiming to squeeze in a quick nap during a commute or in a soundproof office pod – it's acceptable to use some accessories. “In my work with footballers, I recommend that they avoid becoming accustomed to sleeping in their bed, since they’re going to have|they will
