Listen to plenty of productivity experts, and you'll be easy to convince yourself that a nap is a superpower: not just a sticking plaster following a bad night’s sleep, but a shortcut towards a better memory, a brighter outlook and possibly quicker running times. Elite athletes do it regularly – as do concert pianists, UFC champions & media moguls. However, if you lack a special sleep space or employment that encourages frequent naps, can there *honestly* sufficient advantages to a short sleep to merit the hassle? Does there exist a surefire technique to nod off promptly? Plus, is it possible to honestly promise you will arise feeling refreshed, rather than worse?
Identifying The Reasons for Napping
“Experts note three key drivers for daytime sleep among most adults,” says a professor of sleep science researcher. “The first is what we call recovery napping, which is what happens when you’ve had poor sleep overnight. The second is prophylactic napping, where you are preparing for a sleep deficit coming up, for instance during overnight shifts. The third reason is “pleasure-based sleep”, which basically comes down to desire: you get an opportunity to sleep in the afternoon, and it's pleasant to do it.”
The primary task to undertake, so, is to think about why you want to nap. “Daytime sleep can be really helpful when night sleeping gets interrupted due to causes outside your control – such as, when you are a new parent, or you’re recovering after being ill or heavy physical exertion,” explains a sleep specialist. “Yet when you take a nap as your nighttime sleep is unstable or broken, that is frequently a signal your body's sleep pressure is not at the level required. In such situations, napping can become a contributing factor, instead of the fix. Use napping for brief periods for temporary issues – the main goal ought to remain a robust and regular night’s sleep.”
The Ideal Nap Duration
This implies that naps must not be too extended to disrupt your nighttime sleep, and best should not occur post-3 p.m. (contingent on the time you go to bed overnight). What duration is wise? Recommendations vary. From the most referenced research regarding daytime sleep, researchers at Nasa noted that space travelers showed a boost of up to 54% in attentiveness plus a 34% rise in performance following a nap of 26 minutes (to be precise, this involved a six-minute long sleep onset time). “I’d suggest setting an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – the majority are asleep in under ten minutes,” explains a sleep expert. “There’s a lot of guidance out there regarding the optimal amount of time, but that tends to lead individuals to become more anxious than anything else – and the least helpful action you can possibly do while aiming to get to sleep is to be anxious.”
If you plan to nap for a longer period, avoid the 45 to 60 minute range that promotes sleep inertia, that spaced-out feeling upon waking. “Research indicates it's more effective to take a longer nap of 60 to 90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” says the sleep scientist. “Three-quarters of an hour is enough time to put you into slow-wave sleep and you’re more likely to feel groggy when you wake up – whereas if you extend it a bit longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you will probably to finish a full cycle and are likely to awaken feeling more rejuvenated. But if you’re sleeping for a long period, it may impact your sleep in the evening.”
Creating an Ideal Nap Environment
When it comes to exact methodologies, recommendations vary. Certain specialists propose employing comparable habits you’d use to promote quality nighttime sleep: a peaceful area, a cozy bed and maximum darkness as you can manage. Alternatively, experts propose that you should just doze in a chair in whatever light happens to be around – to prevent that groggy feeling and to preserve your bed as the environment you associate with *real* sleep. “Sleep is quite challenging to force,” explains an expert. “Lacking any drowsiness, it becomes harder to recline and basically command yourself to go to sleep. There’s got to be a natural inclination there to initiate sleep in the first place. Personally, I can often snooze in broad daylight and naturally wake up without an alarm, though, what aids most folks is to wait for an instance when they are naturally feeling a bit drowsy and calmly allow sleep to come.”
It’s worth experimenting, and when your choices are limited – such as, if you’re trying to fit in 40 winks on a train or in a work pod – there’s nothing wrong to employ some accessories. “In my work with footballers, I advise that they avoid becoming accustomed to their own bed for naps, as they’re going to have|they will
