Hear a few performance experts, and it’s tempting to believe that napping is a powerful tool: not just a sticking plaster after a bad night’s sleep, but a route towards improved recall, improved mood and perhaps improved athletic performance. Premier League soccer players swear by it – along with professional piano players, fighters and business leaders. However, if you lack a special sleep space or employment that encourages regular snoozing, can there *honestly* worthwhile perks to a quick nap for it to be worth the effort? Is there a surefire technique to fall asleep fast? And can you honestly promise you’ll wake up feeling refreshed, not worse?
Exploring The Nap Motivation
“There are three key drivers for napping for many people,” says an expert sleep science researcher. “One is known as make-up sleep, that is what happens following a lack of sleep overnight. Another is pre-emptive sleep, when you are pre-empting a sleep deficit in the future, for instance when working graveyard shifts. The third is called “appetitive drive”, which basically comes down to wanting: you get an opportunity to nap during the day, and it feels nice to indulge.”
The initial step to consider, so, is to examine your nap motivation. “Naps can be genuinely useful when overnight rest is being disrupted for reasons beyond your control – for example, when you are caring for an infant, or if you are healing from illness or strenuous activity,” says a sleep specialist. “However, if you nap as your sleep at night seems unreliable or unreliable, that can be a signal your body's sleep pressure is not as strong as required. In such situations, naps can become a contributing factor, not the solution. Use napping for brief periods for short-term problems – the priority must always be a solid and consistent overnight rest.”
The Optimal Nap Length
This means that daytime sleep ought not to be too extended to disrupt your nighttime sleep, and ideally are not recommended post-3 p.m. (depending on what time you retire at night). How long is sensible? Guidelines are mixed. Among a prominent study regarding daytime sleep, space agency scientists noted that crew members had up to a 54% increase in attentiveness and a 34% increase in cognitive performance after a 26-minute nap (in detail, this counted a six-minute long nodding-off period). “I recommend setting a timer for half an hour or less – most people doze off quickly,” notes a sleep expert. “There’s a lot of recommendations regarding the ideal number of minutes, yet that often make people feel more anxious than anything – and the least helpful action one can do when attempting to get to sleep is worry about it.”
If you’re going to take an extended nap, bypass the 45 to 60 minute range that induces sleep inertia, that spaced-out feeling when you awaken. “The science would say it's more effective to opt for a lengthier snooze lasting 60-90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” notes the professor. “45 minutes is enough time to plunge you into deep sleep making it more likely to feel disoriented when you get up – however, if you take it a little longer to a full sleep cycle, you’re likely to be on the end of a sleep cycle and are likely to wake up feeling more refreshed. Though if you're dozing for an hour and a half, it will affect how you sleep in the evening.”
Finding an Ideal Snooze Setting
As for specific techniques, suggestions are diverse. Some experts propose employing similar routines one would use to encourage a good night’s sleep: a quiet room, a cozy bed and minimal light as is feasible. Some advise that you should simply nap on the sofa in the existing light is present – both to discourage sleep inertia and to “protect” your bed as the place you associate with proper sleep. “Sleep is something really tricky to command,” says an expert. “Lacking any drowsiness, it is tougher to get comfortable and practically command yourself to go to sleep. There must be some sleep pressure available to bring the sleep on to begin with. Personally, I can often take a nap in full light and wake up naturally without an alarm, however, what assists a lot of people is to anticipate a moment when they are naturally slightly tired and just gently ease into sleep.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and if you have few options – such as, when aiming to squeeze in 40 winks while traveling or at the office – it's acceptable with bringing sleep aids. “In my work with professional sportspeople, I suggest that they avoid becoming accustomed to their own bed for naps, because they’re going to have|they will
