Listen to enough self-improvement gurus, and you'll be tempting to believe that a nap is a superpower: not just a band-aid following poor sleep, but a shortcut towards enhanced cognition, better spirits and perhaps improved athletic performance. Professional soccer players are all at it – and so are concert pianists, mixed martial artists and media moguls. But if you don't have a room for napping or a job that permits regular snoozing, is it *truly* worthwhile perks to a short sleep for it to be worth the effort? Does there exist a surefire technique to fall asleep fast? And can you truly ensure you will arise feeling better, not worse?
Exploring Your Nap Motivation
“We can identify three main reasons for napping in the adult population,” notes an expert sleep science researcher. “The first is what we call recovery napping, which is the action you take after experiencing a lack of sleep overnight. Secondly, there's pre-emptive sleep, where you are preparing for a sleep deficit ahead, such as when working graveyard shifts. The third reason is “hedonic napping”, which basically comes down to wanting: you have a moment to nap in the afternoon, and it feels nice to do it.”
The primary task to do, so, is to think about your reason for napping. “Naps can be genuinely useful when nighttime sleep gets interrupted for reasons outside your control – such as, for a parent of a newborn, or you’re recovering after being ill or intense exercise,” says a sleep expert. “But if you’re napping because your night sleep seems unreliable or unreliable, that’s often a sign your need for sleep is not at the level it should be. In those cases, napping can become part of the issue, not the solution. Use napping as a short-term solution to address immediate needs – the main goal must always be a strong and predictable overnight rest.”
The Perfect Snooze Time
This implies that daytime sleep shouldn’t be sufficiently lengthy to disrupt your sleep at night, and ideally shouldn’t take place post-3 p.m. (depending on what time you retire overnight). What duration is wise? Advice differs. In one of a prominent study about napping, space agency scientists noted that crew members experienced up to a 54% increase in alertness and a 34% increase in performance following a nap of 26 minutes (technically, this counted a six-minute sleep onset time). “I’d suggest setting a timer for half an hour or less – the majority fall asleep in under ten minutes,” explains a sleep expert. “You'll find much advice around concerning the perfect length of minutes, yet that often lead individuals to become more anxious above all – and the least helpful action you can possibly do while aiming to nod off is to stress over it.”
Should you decide to sleep for longer, avoid the period between 45 and 60 minutes that encourages that sluggish feeling, that disoriented sensation when you awaken. “The science would say it is preferable to have a lengthier snooze lasting 60-90 minutes than a medium-length one,” says the sleep scientist. “Three-quarters of an hour is enough time to send you into slow-wave sleep and you’re more likely to feel disoriented upon awakening – while if you nap for a bit longer to a full sleep cycle, you will probably to be completing a full cycle and are likely to wake up feeling more rejuvenated. But if you're dozing for 90 minutes, it can influence your sleep that night.”
Creating the Right Snooze Setting
Regarding exact methodologies, suggestions are diverse. A few professionals recommend using comparable habits you use to foster a good night’s sleep: a silent space, a cozy bed and as much darkness as you can manage. Others suggest that you should simply nap on the sofa in whatever light happens to be around – to prevent sleep inertia and to maintain your bed as the place your mind associates with *real* sleep. “Sleep is quite challenging to force,” says a sleep coach. “Without any drowsiness, it becomes harder to get comfortable and essentially tell yourself to go to sleep. There must be a natural inclination available to start the process initially. Personally, I can often nap during the day and wake up naturally alarm-free, however, what assists a lot of people is to anticipate an instance where they feel naturally feeling a bit drowsy and calmly ease into sleep.”
It’s worth experimenting, and when your choices are limited – for instance, if attempting to squeeze in a quick nap while traveling or at the office – there’s nothing wrong with bringing a few tools. “In my work with elite athletes, I suggest that they not rely on napping in bed, as they’re going to have|they will
