Tune into enough performance podcasters, making it easy to think that a nap is a powerful tool: not just a quick fix after a bad night’s sleep, but a route to a better memory, better spirits and maybe a faster 5k run time. Premier League soccer players do it regularly – as do professional piano players, fighters and media moguls. But if you don't have a special sleep space or employment that permits daytime sleep, is it *truly* worthwhile perks to a burst of shut-eye for it to be worth the effort? Does there exist a dependable method to nod off promptly? And can you truly ensure you’ll wake up feeling refreshed, rather than worse?
Identifying Your Nap Motivation
“We can identify three primary motivations for daytime sleep in the adult population,” says a professor of circadian rhythm specialist. “The first is termed recovery napping, essentially what you do following a lack of sleep the night before. Another is pre-emptive sleep, which involves anticipating insufficient sleep in the future, for example during on night shifts. The third reason is “pleasure-based sleep”, which simply is about desire: there is a chance to nap during the day, and it's enjoyable to indulge.”
The first thing to do, therefore, is consider your nap motivation. “Napping can be truly beneficial when overnight rest gets interrupted because of factors you cannot change – for instance, for a parent of a newborn, or you’re recovering after being ill or intense exercise,” states a sleep physiologist. “But if you nap as your night sleep seems unreliable or unreliable, that’s often a signal your body's sleep pressure is not where it needs to be. In such situations, napping can become part of the issue, rather than the answer. Utilize daytime sleep as a short-term solution for temporary issues – the focus ought to remain a solid and consistent overnight rest.”
The Optimal Nap Duration
This means that naps must not be too extended to affect your sleep at night, and best are not recommended after about 3pm (depending on what time you sleep overnight). What duration is wise? Advice differs. Among the most referenced research about napping, researchers at Nasa found that crew members experienced up to a 54% increase in alertness and a 34% boost in cognitive performance after a 26-minute nap (technically, this counted an initial six-minute nodding-off period). “I recommend setting a timer for 20 to 30 minutes – the majority doze off quickly,” says a sleep expert. “There is plenty of recommendations about the perfect length of minutes, yet that often make people feel more worried above all – and the least helpful action one can do while aiming to get to sleep is to be anxious.”
Should you decide to nap for a longer period, steer clear of the period between 45 and 60 minutes that promotes sleep inertia, that spaced-out feeling when you wake. “Studies would say it is preferable to have a longer nap of one to one and a half hours rather than a mid-length nap,” notes the sleep scientist. “Forty-five minutes is long enough to put you into slow-wave sleep and you’re more likely to feel disoriented when you wake up – while if you take it slightly longer to a full sleep cycle, it's likely you'll to be on the end a full cycle and should awaken feeling more alert. But if you nap for an hour and a half, it may impact the quality of your sleep later that night.”
Establishing the Right Nap Environment
As for precise methods, suggestions are diverse. A few professionals suggest adopting comparable habits one would use to foster a good night’s 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 whatever light is available – both to discourage post-nap grogginess and to “protect” your bed as the environment your brain links with *real* sleep. “Sleep is notoriously difficult to command,” says an expert. “If you don’t have the urge to sleep, it is more challenging to get comfortable and essentially instruct yourself to nod off. There must be a natural inclination available to initiate sleep initially. Personally, I can often snooze during the day and awaken on my own without an alarm, though, what aids many individuals is to anticipate a time when they are naturally slightly tired and then simply allow sleep to come.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and if your choices are limited – for example, when aiming to grab some shut-eye during a commute or in a soundproof office pod – there’s nothing wrong to employ a few tools. “When I’m working with footballers, I recommend that they don’t get used to sleeping in their bed, as they’re going to have|they will
