Hear a few self-improvement podcasters, and it’s simple to think that napping is a powerful tool: not just a quick fix following restless night, but a path towards enhanced cognition, better spirits and perhaps a faster 5k run time. Premier League footballers do it regularly – as do musicians, UFC champions & business leaders. Yet, when you don't have a special sleep space or a job that allows frequent naps, are there *really* enough benefits to a burst of shut-eye to justify the hassle? Does there exist a reliable way to get to sleep quickly enough? Plus, is it possible to honestly promise you’ll wake up feeling improved, not worse?
Exploring Your Drive to Snooze
“We can identify three primary motivations for taking a nap in the adult population,” explains a leading sleep science researcher. “One is termed make-up sleep, that is what happens when you’ve had poor sleep the night before. Secondly, there's pre-emptive sleep, which involves anticipating insufficient sleep coming up, for example during on night shifts. The third reason is “hedonic napping”, which basically is about wanting: you have an opportunity to nap in the daytime, and it's pleasant to indulge.”
The initial step to do, so, is to think about why you want to nap. “Napping can be truly beneficial when overnight rest gets interrupted due to causes beyond your control – for instance, if you’re a new parent, or if you are healing after being ill or intense exercise,” states a sleep expert. “But if you take a nap as your nighttime sleep seems unreliable or unreliable, that can be an indicator your body's sleep pressure is not where it should be. Under those circumstances, napping can become part of the problem, instead of the fix. Use napping as a short-term solution for short-term problems – the priority should still be a strong and predictable overnight rest.”
The Ideal Nap Duration
Therefore that naps must not be too extended to affect your nighttime sleep, and ideally should not occur after about 3pm (depending on what time you go to bed overnight). What's a reasonable length? Recommendations vary. From the most-cited studies on the subject, researchers at Nasa discovered that astronauts had up to a 54% increase in attentiveness plus a 34% rise in task performance post a 26-minute snooze (in detail, this counted a six-minute long sleep onset time). “I’d suggest setting an alarm for half an hour or less – many individuals are asleep quickly,” notes a sleep coach. “There is plenty of recommendations concerning the ideal number of minutes, however, that can make people feel more anxious above all – and the worst thing you can do when attempting to nod off is worry about it.”
If you’re going to nap for a longer period, steer clear of the period between 45 and 60 minutes that induces that sluggish feeling, that spaced-out feeling upon waking. “Studies suggests it's more effective to take a longer nap of 60 to 90 minutes than a medium-length one,” notes the sleep scientist. “Forty-five minutes is enough time to put you into a deep sleep stage making it more likely to feel sluggish upon awakening – whereas if you take it a little longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you’re likely to be on the end of a sleep cycle and should wake up feeling more alert. Though if you nap for an hour and a half, it may impact your sleep that night.”
Creating the Perfect Snooze Setting
Regarding exact methodologies, recommendations vary. Some experts propose adopting similar routines you use to encourage restful sleep: a peaceful area, a comfortable bed and maximum darkness as you can manage. Alternatively, experts propose that one could merely snooze in a chair in the existing light happens to be around – to prevent sleep inertia and to “protect” your bedroom as the place your brain links with proper sleep. “Napping is quite challenging to will,” explains a sleep coach. “Lacking any sleepiness, it is tougher to lie down and basically command yourself to nod off. There must be some drive available to start the process initially. Personally, I can often take a nap during the day and naturally wake up without an alarm, though, what aids many individuals is to look for an instance where they feel naturally slightly tired and just gently relax into it.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and if you have few options – for instance, when aiming to squeeze in 40 winks during a commute or in a soundproof office pod – it's acceptable to use sleep aids. “When I’m working with footballers, I advise that they don’t get used to their own bed for naps, because they’re going to have|they will
