Tune into a few self-improvement podcasters, making it simple to think that a nap is a superpower: not just a quick fix after restless night, but a path towards enhanced cognition, improved mood and maybe a faster 5k run time. Elite footballers swear by it – as do professional piano players, UFC champions and high-profile executives. Yet, when you lack a special sleep space or employment that allows frequent naps, is it *truly* enough benefits to a quick nap for it to be worth the kerfuffle? Can you find a reliable way to nod off promptly? And can you really guarantee you will arise feeling refreshed, rather than worse?
Understanding The Drive to Snooze
“We can identify three main reasons for napping for many people,” notes a leading sleep and circadian science specialist. “The first is known as compensatory napping, that is what you do following poor sleep the previous night. The second is pre-emptive sleep, which involves anticipating sleep loss ahead, for example during graveyard shifts. The third reason is “hedonic napping”, which basically comes down to desire: you get a moment to sleep during the day, and it's pleasant to indulge.”
The primary task to consider, then, is to think about why you want to nap. “Naps can be genuinely useful when night sleeping is being disrupted due to causes beyond your control – for example, when you are a parent of a newborn, or you’re recovering from sickness or heavy physical exertion,” says a sleep physiologist. “Yet when you’re napping because your nighttime sleep feels fragile or poor, that is frequently an indicator your need for sleep is not where it should be. Under those circumstances, daytime sleep can turn into part of the issue, rather than the answer. Use napping for brief periods to address immediate needs – the main goal should still be a solid and consistent night’s sleep.”
The Ideal Nap Length
This implies that daytime sleep must not be too extended to affect your sleep at night, and best should not occur in the late afternoon (contingent on what time you retire overnight). How long is sensible? Recommendations vary. In one of a prominent study on the subject, space agency scientists noted that space travelers experienced improvements of over 50% in alertness and a 34% boost in cognitive performance after a 26-minute nap (in detail, this included a six-minute long nodding-off period). “My advice is using an alarm for half an hour or less – the majority are asleep quickly,” notes a sleep coach. “There is plenty of guidance out there about the optimal amount for sleeping, yet that often cause people to feel more worried than anything else – and the most counterproductive thing you can possibly do when attempting to nod off is to stress over it.”
Should you decide to nap for a longer period, avoid the 45-60 minute window that promotes sleep grogginess, that spaced-out feeling upon waking. “Studies indicates it's more effective to opt for a lengthier snooze lasting 60-90 minutes than a medium-length one,” notes the expert. “Three-quarters of an hour is long enough to plunge you into slow-wave sleep and you’re more likely to feel sluggish when you get up – however, if you nap for a bit longer to an hour or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to finish of a sleep cycle and are likely to awaken feeling more alert. But if you nap for an hour and a half, it can influence the quality of your sleep that night.”
Creating an Ideal Sleep Space
As for precise methods, suggestions are diverse. A few professionals propose employing similar routines you’d use to encourage quality nighttime sleep: a quiet room, a supportive surface and minimal light as is feasible. Others suggest that it's fine to merely snooze on a couch with ambient lighting is available – to prevent sleep inertia and to “protect” your bed as the environment you associate with *real* sleep. “Sleep is something really tricky to will,” explains an expert. “Without the urge to sleep, it is tougher to get comfortable and essentially instruct yourself to go to sleep. You need some sleep pressure available to bring the sleep on initially. For me, it's possible to nap during the day and naturally wake up without an alarm, however, what assists many individuals is to wait for a time where they feel naturally slightly tired and then simply allow sleep to come.”
It’s worth experimenting, and when your choices are limited – such as, if you’re trying to squeeze in a quick nap on a train or in a soundproof office pod – it is perfectly fine to use some accessories. “In my work with professional sportspeople, I recommend that they don’t get used to their own bed for naps, as they’re going to have|they will
