Listen to a few performance gurus, and it’s tempting to believe that a nap is a superpower: rather than a sticking plaster following poor sleep, but a shortcut towards improved recall, a brighter outlook and maybe improved athletic performance. Elite soccer players swear by it – as do concert pianists, fighters and high-profile executives. But if you lack a dedicated nap-room or a job that permits daytime sleep, can there *honestly* sufficient advantages to a quick nap to justify the kerfuffle? Is there a surefire technique to get to sleep quickly enough? And can you truly ensure you’ll wake up feeling improved, instead of groggy?
Identifying Your Drive to Snooze
“Experts note three primary motivations for daytime sleep for many people,” says a professor of sleep and circadian science researcher. “Firstly, there's known as recovery napping, that is what happens following insufficient sleep the previous night. Secondly, there's prophylactic napping, where you are anticipating insufficient sleep ahead, for instance when working graveyard shifts. The third is called “appetitive drive”, which essentially comes down to wanting: there is an opportunity to sleep in the afternoon, and it feels nice to do it.”
The initial step to do, therefore, is to think about your reason for napping. “Napping can be truly beneficial when nighttime sleep is being disrupted for reasons outside your control – such as, when you are caring for an infant, or recovering after being ill or heavy physical exertion,” states a sleep specialist. “But if you nap since your night sleep is unstable or unreliable, that can be a signal your need for sleep is not at the level it needs to be. In such situations, napping can become a contributing factor, not the solution. Use napping as a temporary measure for short-term problems – the priority must always be a robust and regular night’s sleep.”
The Ideal Nap Length
This implies that napping must not be sufficiently lengthy to disrupt your nighttime sleep, and best should not occur after about 3pm (based on what time you go to bed in the evening). What duration is wise? Advice differs. From a prominent study about napping, researchers at Nasa found that space travelers showed a boost of up to 54% in vigilance plus a 34% rise in task performance after a 26-minute nap (to be precise, this involved a six-minute nodding-off period). “I’d suggest setting a timer for half an hour or less – most people doze off within 10 minutes,” says a sleep expert. “You'll find much advice around regarding the ideal number of time, yet that often lead individuals to become more stressed than anything else – and the least helpful action you can possibly do while aiming to nod off is worry about it.”
If you plan to take an extended nap, steer clear of the period between 45 and 60 minutes that induces sleep grogginess, that foggy state when you wake. “Studies would say it's more effective to take a lengthier snooze lasting 60-90 minutes than a medium-length one,” notes the professor. “Forty-five minutes is sufficient to plunge you into slow-wave sleep and it is more probable to feel groggy upon awakening – whereas if you extend it a bit longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you will probably to be on the end a natural sleep cycle and will probably wake up feeling more rejuvenated. But if you nap for an hour and a half, it will affect your sleep in the evening.”
Finding an Ideal Nap Environment
As for precise methods, recommendations vary. Some experts propose employing comparable habits you’d use to promote restful sleep: a peaceful area, a cozy bed and minimal light as you can manage. Alternatively, experts propose that one could simply nap on a couch with ambient lighting happens to be around – to prevent that groggy feeling and to maintain your bedroom as the environment you associate with *real* sleep. “Sleep is something really tricky to force,” explains a sleep coach. “Lacking any sleepiness, it is tougher to lie down and essentially instruct yourself to nod off. There must be some drive there to initiate sleep to begin with. For me, it's possible to nap in broad daylight and naturally wake up without a timer, though, what aids most folks is to wait for a time when they are naturally feeling a bit drowsy and then simply allow sleep to come.”
It’s worth experimenting, and should you have few options – such as, if you’re trying to squeeze in some shut-eye while traveling or in a soundproof office pod – there’s nothing wrong with bringing sleep aids. “Coaching footballers, I recommend that they avoid becoming accustomed to sleeping in their bed, as they’re going to have|they will
