Tune into a few self-improvement gurus, making it simple to believe that dozing is a secret weapon: rather than a quick fix after a bad night’s sleep, but a shortcut towards a better memory, a brighter outlook and perhaps a faster 5k run time. Professional soccer players are all at it – as do concert pianists, mixed martial artists and media moguls. But if you lack a special sleep space or a job that allows frequent naps, is it *truly* sufficient advantages to a burst of shut-eye to merit the kerfuffle? Does there exist a surefire technique to get to sleep quickly enough? Plus, is it possible to really guarantee you’ll wake up feeling better, rather than worse?
Understanding The Nap Motivation
“There are three key drivers for taking a nap among most adults,” explains a leading sleep science researcher. “The first is known as compensatory napping, which is what you do following insufficient sleep overnight. Another is prophylactic napping, when you are anticipating insufficient sleep in the future, for example when working on night shifts. The third reason is “pleasure-based sleep”, which essentially comes down to desire: you get a chance to doze in the daytime, and it feels nice to nap.”
The first thing to do, then, is to examine your nap motivation. “Daytime sleep can be genuinely useful when overnight rest is being disrupted due to causes you cannot change – for example, if you’re a parent of a newborn, or recovering after being ill or intense exercise,” explains a sleep physiologist. “However, if you take a nap since your night sleep seems unreliable or broken, that’s often a sign your body's sleep pressure is not at the level required. Under those circumstances, napping can become part of the problem, instead of the fix. Utilize daytime sleep as a temporary measure to address immediate needs – the priority ought to remain a strong and predictable overnight rest.”
The Optimal Nap Duration
Therefore that napping must not be too extended to disrupt your overnight rest, and ideally are not recommended after about 3pm (contingent on when you go to bed at night). What duration is wise? Guidelines are mixed. From the most referenced research on the subject, researchers at Nasa discovered that space travelers experienced a boost of up to 54% in attentiveness plus a 34% rise in performance after a 26-minute nap (in detail, this included a six-minute long falling asleep phase). “I recommend setting an alarm for half an hour or less – many individuals are asleep quickly,” notes a sleep expert. “There is plenty of advice around regarding the ideal number for sleeping, but that tends to cause people to feel more worried than anything else – and the most counterproductive thing one can do when trying to fall asleep is to stress over it.”
If you’re going to sleep for longer, steer clear of the 45 to 60 minute range that encourages that sluggish feeling, that spaced-out feeling when you awaken. “Studies indicates it is preferable to take a longer nap of one to one and a half hours compared to a medium-length nap,” notes the professor. “Three-quarters of an hour is long enough to put you into a deep sleep stage making it more likely to feel disoriented when you get up – however, if you nap for a bit longer to a full sleep cycle, you will probably to finish a natural sleep cycle and should wake up feeling more alert. Though if you’re sleeping for an hour and a half, it can influence the quality of your sleep in the evening.”
Establishing an Ideal Sleep Space
As for exact methodologies, recommendations vary. Some experts propose adopting the same protocol one would use to promote a good night’s sleep: a silent space, a comfortable bed and minimal light as you can manage. Others suggest that you should just doze in a chair in whatever light is available – to prevent post-nap grogginess and to maintain your bedroom as the environment you associate with nighttime rest. “Sleep is something really tricky to force,” says an expert. “If you don’t have any drowsiness, it is tougher to recline and practically instruct yourself to fall asleep. There’s got to be a natural inclination available to bring the sleep on to begin with. I can usually snooze during the day and awaken on my own without a timer, but what helps most folks is to look for a moment where they feel naturally slightly tired and then simply ease into sleep.”
It’s worth experimenting, and should you have few options – for example, if attempting to grab some shut-eye on a train or in a soundproof office pod – it's acceptable with bringing some accessories. “Coaching footballers, I recommend that they not rely on napping in bed, since they’re going to have|they will
