Listen to enough productivity gurus, making it simple to think that a nap is a superpower: more than a sticking plaster following poor sleep, but a shortcut to enhanced cognition, a brighter outlook and possibly a faster 5k run time. Professional soccer players are all at it – and so are musicians, UFC champions & media moguls. But if you haven’t got a special sleep space or a career that allows regular snoozing, is it *truly* enough benefits to a quick nap for it to be worth the effort? Can you find a reliable way to get to sleep quickly enough? Furthermore, can you truly ensure you will arise feeling improved, not worse?
Exploring The Nap Motivation
“Experts note three primary motivations for daytime sleep among most adults,” notes a leading sleep science professor. “One is termed make-up sleep, which is what you do when you’ve had poor sleep the night before. Secondly, there's pre-emptive sleep, where you are preparing for insufficient sleep in the future, for example during graveyard shifts. The third is called “appetitive drive”, which essentially boils down to the wish: you have a moment to sleep in the daytime, and it's enjoyable to do it.”
The first thing to consider, then, is to think about your reason for napping. “Naps can be really helpful when nighttime sleep is disturbed because of factors outside your control – for instance, when you are caring for an infant, or recovering from sickness or intense exercise,” states a sleep expert. “Yet when you nap since your sleep at night is unstable or unreliable, that’s often a sign your need for sleep is not where it should be. Under those circumstances, daytime sleep can turn into a contributing factor, not the solution. Employ naps as a short-term solution for temporary issues – the main goal must always be a robust and regular overnight rest.”
The Perfect Nap Duration
Therefore that naps must not be sufficiently lengthy to disrupt your nighttime sleep, and preferably should not occur in the late afternoon (depending on when you retire at night). How long is sensible? Recommendations vary. From a prominent study about napping, experts noted that space travelers experienced up to a 54% increase in vigilance and a 34% increase in cognitive performance post a 26-minute snooze (to be precise, this involved a six-minute long falling asleep phase). “I’d suggest setting a timer for 20-30 minutes – many individuals doze off within 10 minutes,” explains a sleep expert. “You'll find much guidance out there concerning the optimal amount of time, yet that often cause people to feel more stressed above all – and the most counterproductive thing you can do while aiming to nod off is to be anxious.”
Should you decide to nap for a longer period, avoid the 45-60 minute window that promotes that sluggish feeling, that foggy state upon waking. “Research suggests it's more effective to opt for a lengthier snooze lasting 60-90 minutes than a medium-length one,” explains the sleep scientist. “45 minutes is long enough to plunge you into slow-wave sleep and it is more probable to feel sluggish upon awakening – while if you take it slightly longer to 60 or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to finish of a sleep cycle and should wake up feeling more alert. Though if you're dozing for an hour and a half, it can influence how you sleep later that night.”
Creating the Right Sleep Space
When it comes to specific techniques, suggestions are diverse. Certain specialists propose adopting similar routines you’d use to promote quality nighttime sleep: a silent space, a supportive surface and as much darkness as you can manage. Some advise that one could just doze in a chair in whatever light happens to be around – both to discourage post-nap grogginess and to “protect” your bed as the space you associate with *real* sleep. “Napping is something really tricky to will,” notes an expert. “Without any sleepiness, it is more challenging to get comfortable and practically command yourself to nod off. There must be a natural inclination present to initiate sleep initially. Personally, I can often snooze in full light and awaken on my own alarm-free, but what helps a lot of people is to anticipate an instance when they are naturally somewhat sleepy and calmly relax into it.”
Experimentation is key, and should options are scarce – such as, when aiming to squeeze in a quick nap while traveling or at the office – it is perfectly fine to employ sleep aids. “In my work with footballers, I recommend that they don’t get used to their own bed for naps, because they’re going to have|they will
