Tune into enough self-improvement podcasters, making it easy to believe that dozing is a superpower: more than a sticking plaster following poor sleep, but a shortcut to enhanced cognition, improved mood and perhaps a faster 5k run time. Professional footballers do it regularly – along with musicians, mixed martial artists & high-profile executives. But if you haven’t got a special sleep space or a career that encourages regular snoozing, is it *truly* enough benefits to a short sleep for it to be worth the kerfuffle? Is there a surefire technique to get to sleep quickly enough? And can you honestly promise you will get up feeling improved, rather than worse?
Understanding Your Reasons for Napping
“There are three key drivers for taking a nap among most adults,” says an expert sleep science specialist. “Firstly, there's what we call recovery napping, that is what happens following insufficient sleep the night before. The second is preparatory napping, when you are anticipating insufficient sleep ahead, such as if you’re working overnight shifts. The third reason is “pleasure-based sleep”, which essentially boils down to wanting: you have a chance to sleep in the afternoon, and it's enjoyable to do it.”
The primary task to consider, then, is to examine why you want to nap. “Naps can be truly beneficial when overnight rest gets interrupted for reasons beyond your control – for example, for caring for an infant, or if you are healing from sickness or strenuous activity,” says a sleep expert. “But if you take a nap because your night sleep is unstable or unreliable, that is frequently a signal your body's sleep pressure is not where required. Under those circumstances, napping can become part of the problem, not the solution. Utilize daytime sleep for brief periods for temporary issues – the focus must always be a robust and regular night’s sleep.”
The Optimal Snooze Time
This implies that naps ought not to be long enough to affect your overnight rest, and best shouldn’t take place post-3 p.m. (contingent on the time you sleep at night). What's a reasonable length? Guidelines are mixed. Among a prominent study on the subject, researchers at Nasa noted that space travelers experienced a boost of up to 54% in vigilance and a 34% boost in task performance after a 26-minute nap (to be precise, this counted an initial six-minute falling asleep phase). “My advice is using an alarm for half an hour or less – many individuals fall asleep in under ten minutes,” says a sleep expert. “There is plenty of guidance out there regarding the optimal amount of time, but that tends to cause people to feel more worried above all – and the most counterproductive thing you can do when trying to nod off is to be anxious.”
Should you decide to take an extended nap, steer clear of the 45-60 minute window that encourages sleep inertia, that foggy state upon waking. “Research suggests it is preferable to take a longer nap of 60 to 90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” explains the expert. “Three-quarters of an hour is enough time to plunge you into a deep sleep stage and it is more probable to feel disoriented upon awakening – while if you nap for a little longer to an hour or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to be completing of a sleep cycle and will probably awaken feeling more rejuvenated. Though if you nap for 90 minutes, it may impact your sleep that night.”
Finding an Ideal Snooze Setting
As for exact methodologies, recommendations vary. A few professionals suggest employing similar routines you use to promote quality nighttime sleep: a peaceful area, a cozy bed and maximum darkness as possible. Some advise that it's fine to just doze on a couch in the existing light happens to be around – to avoid post-nap grogginess and to maintain your bed as the space you associate with proper sleep. “Sleep is notoriously difficult to force,” says a sleep coach. “If you don’t have any drowsiness, it is tougher to get comfortable and practically tell yourself to go to sleep. There must be some drive available to start the process initially. Personally, I can often snooze in full light and wake up naturally alarm-free, however, what assists a lot of people is to wait for an instance where they feel naturally feeling a bit drowsy and calmly ease into sleep.”
Experimentation is key, and should you have few options – such as, when aiming to fit in a quick nap on a train or at the office – it is perfectly fine to employ some accessories. “In my work with professional sportspeople, I suggest that they not rely on napping in bed, since they’re going to have|they will
