Hear plenty of self-improvement experts, making it tempting to convince yourself that napping is a powerful tool: rather than a quick fix after restless night, but a route to enhanced cognition, better spirits and possibly a faster 5k run time. Premier League footballers swear by it – along with professional piano players, UFC champions & media moguls. But if you lack a special sleep space or employment that permits frequent naps, is it *truly* enough benefits to a quick nap to merit the kerfuffle? Does there exist a dependable method to fall asleep fast? Furthermore, can you truly ensure you will arise feeling refreshed, not worse?
Understanding Your Reasons for Napping
“Experts note three key drivers for napping for many people,” says a professor of circadian rhythm professor. “The first is what we call recovery napping, which is what happens when you’ve had a lack of sleep the night before. The second is preparatory napping, which involves pre-empting insufficient sleep coming up, such as during on night shifts. The third reason is “hedonic napping”, which basically boils down to wanting: there is a chance to sleep during the day, and it feels nice to nap.”
The first thing to undertake, then, is to think about why you want to nap. “Daytime sleep can be genuinely useful when overnight rest gets interrupted because of factors beyond your control – for instance, when you are a parent of a newborn, or recovering from sickness or heavy physical exertion,” explains a sleep physiologist. “Yet when you nap since your nighttime sleep is unstable or unreliable, that is frequently a signal your body's sleep pressure is not as strong as it needs to be. In such situations, napping can become a contributing factor, rather than the answer. Utilize daytime sleep for brief periods for temporary issues – the main goal should still be a solid and consistent sleep at night.”
The Optimal Nap Duration
This implies that daytime sleep ought not to be sufficiently lengthy to interfere with your overnight rest, and preferably should not occur in the late afternoon (depending on when you sleep at night). What duration is wise? Advice differs. In one of the most-cited studies regarding daytime sleep, space agency scientists noted that space travelers showed improvements of over 50% in alertness and a 34% increase in cognitive performance following a nap of 26 minutes (technically, this included a six-minute nodding-off period). “My advice is setting an alarm for half an hour or less – most people are asleep within 10 minutes,” notes a sleep coach. “There’s a lot of recommendations regarding the perfect length for sleeping, however, that can lead individuals to become more stressed than anything – and the least helpful action one can do when trying to nod off is to stress over it.”
Should you decide to sleep for longer, steer clear of the period between 45 and 60 minutes that induces sleep grogginess, that foggy state when you awaken. “Research would say it's more effective to have a lengthier snooze lasting 60-90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” notes the professor. “Three-quarters of an hour is sufficient to send you into slow-wave sleep and you’re more likely to feel disoriented when you wake up – while if you nap for a bit longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you will probably to be completing a natural sleep cycle and will probably get up feeling more refreshed. However, if you’re sleeping for 90 minutes, it will affect the quality of your sleep that night.”
Establishing the Right Nap Environment
When it comes to exact methodologies, advice differs. A few professionals suggest adopting the same protocol you use to encourage quality nighttime sleep: a silent space, a comfortable bed and maximum darkness as you can manage. Others suggest that it's fine to merely snooze in a chair in the existing light happens to be around – to avoid that groggy feeling and to “protect” your bedroom as the space your mind associates with nighttime rest. “Falling asleep is something really tricky to force,” explains a sleep coach. “Lacking any drowsiness, it is more challenging to lie down and essentially tell yourself to nod off. There must be some sleep pressure available to start the process in the first place. Personally, I can often take a nap in full light and naturally wake up without a timer, but what helps many individuals is to look for an instance that they’re naturally slightly tired and then simply ease into sleep.”
Experimentation is key, and if options are scarce – for example, if you’re trying to squeeze in some shut-eye while traveling or at the office – there’s nothing wrong with bringing a few tools. “In my work with professional sportspeople, I recommend that they don’t get used to napping in bed, since they’re going to have|they will
