Tune into a few self-improvement podcasters, and it’s tempting to think that a nap is a secret weapon: more than a quick fix after a bad night’s sleep, but a path to enhanced cognition, improved mood and possibly improved athletic performance. Professional athletes are all at it – and so are musicians, mixed martial artists & business leaders. But if you don't have a special sleep space or employment that allows frequent naps, is it *truly* enough benefits to a quick nap to merit the effort? Is there a dependable method to get to sleep quickly enough? And can you honestly promise you will get up feeling better, instead of groggy?
Identifying Your Drive to Snooze
“There are three primary motivations for napping for many people,” explains a professor of sleep science researcher. “One is known as make-up sleep, that is what happens after experiencing poor sleep the previous night. Another is preparatory napping, which involves pre-empting a sleep deficit in the future, for example during overnight shifts. The third is called “appetitive drive”, which simply boils down to the wish: you have a moment to sleep in the daytime, and it feels nice to nap.”
The first thing to do, then, is to think about why you want to nap. “Naps can be genuinely useful when overnight rest gets interrupted because of factors outside your control – such as, if you’re caring for an infant, or if you are healing after being ill or strenuous activity,” states a sleep physiologist. “Yet when you nap because your night sleep seems unreliable or unreliable, that can be a sign your body's sleep pressure is not where it needs to be. In such situations, daytime sleep can turn into part of the problem, rather than the answer. Utilize daytime sleep as a short-term solution for temporary issues – the main goal should still be a strong and predictable overnight rest.”
The Optimal Nap Length
This implies that daytime sleep ought not to be long enough to interfere with your sleep at night, and preferably are not recommended after about 3pm (based on what time you sleep at night). What duration is wise? Guidelines are mixed. Among the most referenced research regarding daytime sleep, space agency scientists discovered that crew members showed up to a 54% increase in attentiveness and a 34% boost in cognitive performance following a nap of 26 minutes (in detail, this included a six-minute long nodding-off period). “I’d suggest setting a timer for half an hour or less – most people fall asleep in under ten minutes,” says a specialist. “There’s a lot of advice around regarding the optimal amount of time, however, that can lead individuals to become more anxious above all – and the least helpful action one can do when attempting to fall asleep is to stress over it.”
If you’re going to take an extended nap, steer clear of the period between 45 and 60 minutes that promotes that sluggish feeling, that spaced-out feeling when you awaken. “The science suggests it is preferable to opt for a lengthier snooze lasting 60-90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” says the sleep scientist. “45 minutes is enough time to plunge you into slow-wave sleep making it more likely to feel disoriented when you wake up – however, if you take it slightly longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you’re likely to be completing of a sleep cycle and should wake up feeling more rejuvenated. But if you're dozing for a long period, it may impact your sleep in the evening.”
Creating the Perfect Snooze Setting
As for precise methods, suggestions are diverse. Some experts propose employing similar routines one would use to promote a good night’s sleep: a silent space, a supportive surface and as much darkness as is feasible. Some advise that you should just doze on the sofa with ambient lighting happens to be around – both to discourage sleep inertia and to preserve your sleeping quarters as the space you associate with proper sleep. “Napping is quite challenging to command,” explains a sleep coach. “Lacking any sleepiness, it is more challenging to lie down and practically instruct yourself to go to sleep. You need some sleep pressure present to initiate sleep to begin with. I can usually nap in full light and awaken on my own without an alarm, however, what assists most folks is to wait for a time when they are naturally slightly tired and just gently allow sleep to come.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and if you have few options – such as, if you’re trying to grab some shut-eye while traveling or in a work pod – there’s nothing wrong with bringing a few tools. “In my work with footballers, I suggest that they avoid becoming accustomed to their own bed for naps, because they’re going to have|they will
