Tune into plenty of performance gurus, making it easy to convince yourself that a nap is a powerful tool: not just a sticking plaster after a bad night’s sleep, but a shortcut to enhanced cognition, a brighter outlook and possibly a faster 5k run time. Professional athletes do it regularly – along with musicians, fighters and high-profile executives. Yet, when you haven’t got a dedicated nap-room or employment that encourages regular snoozing, is it *truly* enough benefits to a quick nap to merit the effort? Can you find a reliable way to fall asleep fast? Furthermore, can you honestly promise you will arise feeling refreshed, rather than worse?
Understanding Your Reasons for Napping
“There are three main reasons for napping among most adults,” says a leading sleep and circadian science researcher. “The first is termed compensatory napping, which is what you do when you’ve had a lack of sleep overnight. Another is preparatory napping, when you are pre-empting sleep loss coming up, for example during graveyard shifts. The third is called “pleasure-based sleep”, which basically is about the wish: you have a chance to sleep in the daytime, and it's enjoyable to do it.”
The first thing to undertake, then, is to examine your reason for napping. “Napping can be genuinely useful when overnight rest is disturbed due to causes you cannot change – for example, for caring for an infant, or if you are healing from illness or strenuous activity,” says a sleep expert. “Yet when you’re napping because your nighttime sleep feels fragile or broken, that can be an indicator your sleep drive is not where required. In those cases, daytime sleep can turn into part of the problem, instead of the fix. Utilize daytime sleep as a temporary measure for short-term problems – the priority ought to remain a solid and consistent night’s sleep.”
The Optimal Nap Duration
Therefore that naps ought not to be long enough to interfere with your nighttime sleep, and preferably should not occur in the late afternoon (contingent on when you sleep in the evening). How long is sensible? Guidelines are mixed. Among the most-cited studies regarding daytime sleep, space agency scientists found that crew members showed a boost of up to 54% in vigilance plus a 34% rise in performance after a 26-minute nap (in detail, this counted a six-minute long nodding-off period). “I’d suggest setting a timer for half an hour or less – most people are asleep quickly,” notes a specialist. “There’s a lot of advice around concerning the ideal number of minutes, however, that can make people feel more anxious than anything else – and the least helpful action one can do while aiming to get to sleep is to stress over it.”
If you plan to take an extended nap, avoid the 45 to 60 minute range that induces sleep grogginess, that foggy state upon waking. “Research indicates it’s better to opt for a lengthier snooze of one to one and a half hours compared to a medium-length nap,” explains the sleep scientist. “Three-quarters of an hour is sufficient to send you into slow-wave sleep and it is more probable to feel groggy upon awakening – whereas if you take it a bit longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you will probably to finish a full cycle and are likely to awaken feeling more rejuvenated. Though if you’re sleeping for a long period, it may impact how you sleep later that night.”
Finding the Right Snooze Setting
When it comes to precise methods, recommendations vary. Some experts suggest using similar routines one would use to promote a good night’s sleep: a quiet room, a comfortable bed and maximum darkness as possible. Alternatively, experts propose that you should simply nap on a couch with ambient lighting happens to be around – to avoid sleep inertia and to preserve your sleeping quarters as the space your mind associates with proper sleep. “Falling asleep is quite challenging to force,” notes an expert. “If you don’t have any sleepiness, it becomes harder to get comfortable and basically command yourself to nod off. You need some sleep pressure present to bring the sleep on to begin with. For me, it's possible to nap in broad daylight and naturally wake up alarm-free, however, what assists most folks is to wait for a time where they feel naturally slightly tired and then simply ease into sleep.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and should you have few options – for instance, if attempting to grab some shut-eye on a train or in a work pod – it is perfectly fine with bringing some accessories. “Coaching professional sportspeople, I advise that they avoid becoming accustomed to sleeping in their bed, as they’re going to have|they will
