Listen to enough self-improvement gurus, and it’s easy to believe that a nap is a secret weapon: more than a sticking plaster after poor sleep, but a route towards improved recall, a brighter outlook and maybe quicker running times. Professional footballers are all at it – as do musicians, mixed martial artists & high-profile executives. Yet, when you haven’t got a special sleep space or a career that permits frequent naps, can there *honestly* enough benefits to a quick nap to justify the kerfuffle? Is there a surefire technique to nod off promptly? And can you really guarantee you’ll wake up feeling improved, rather than worse?
Understanding Your Reasons for Napping
“Experts note three primary motivations for daytime sleep for many people,” explains a leading sleep and circadian science professor. “The first is known as compensatory napping, which is what happens when you’ve had insufficient sleep the previous night. Secondly, there's pre-emptive sleep, when you are pre-empting a sleep deficit coming up, such as during graveyard shifts. The third reason is “pleasure-based sleep”, which basically boils down to wanting: there is a chance to nap during the day, and it's pleasant to do it.”
The first thing to do, so, is to examine your reason for napping. “Daytime sleep can be truly beneficial when night sleeping is being disrupted for reasons beyond your control – for instance, for a new parent, or recovering after being ill or intense exercise,” states a sleep specialist. “But if you’re napping since your nighttime sleep seems unreliable or broken, that is frequently a signal your sleep drive is not at the level it needs to be. Under those circumstances, daytime sleep can turn into part of the problem, instead of the fix. Utilize daytime sleep for brief periods for temporary issues – the focus should still be a strong and predictable sleep at night.”
The Ideal Snooze Time
Therefore that naps ought not to be too extended to affect your overnight rest, and preferably should not occur post-3 p.m. (based on when you sleep at night). How long is sensible? Recommendations vary. From a prominent study about napping, space agency scientists found that space travelers showed a boost of up to 54% in alertness and a 34% boost in task performance following a nap of 26 minutes (in detail, this included an initial six-minute falling asleep phase). “I’d suggest setting an alarm for half an hour or less – many individuals fall asleep in under ten minutes,” explains a sleep coach. “There’s a lot of advice around concerning the ideal number for sleeping, but that tends to cause people to feel more anxious than anything – and the worst thing you can do when trying to get to sleep is to stress over it.”
Should you decide to take an extended nap, bypass the 45 to 60 minute range that promotes sleep grogginess, that foggy state upon waking. “The science would say it’s better to opt for a lengthier snooze lasting 60-90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” says the expert. “Forty-five minutes is enough time to send you into slow-wave sleep and you’re more likely to feel disoriented when you wake up – whereas if you take it slightly longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you’re likely to be completing a natural sleep cycle and should wake up feeling more alert. However, if you're dozing for a long period, it will affect how you sleep in the evening.”
Finding the Right Sleep Space
When it comes to specific techniques, recommendations vary. Certain specialists suggest adopting comparable habits you’d use to foster quality nighttime sleep: a quiet room, a comfortable bed and as much darkness as is feasible. Some advise that it's fine to simply nap on a couch in the existing light happens to be around – both to discourage post-nap grogginess and to “protect” your bed as the space your brain links with *real* sleep. “Falling asleep is quite challenging to command,” says a sleep coach. “Without any sleepiness, it is more challenging to get comfortable and basically instruct yourself to nod off. There’s got to be a natural inclination present to bring the sleep on initially. Personally, I can often nap during the day and naturally wake up without a timer, but what helps many individuals is to anticipate an instance when they are naturally slightly tired and then simply allow sleep to come.”
Experimentation is key, and if options are scarce – for instance, when aiming to fit in some shut-eye while traveling or in a soundproof office pod – it is perfectly fine to use sleep aids. “In my work with elite athletes, I suggest that they don’t get used to napping in bed, as they’re going to have|they will
