Hear a few productivity gurus, making it easy to think that dozing is a powerful tool: more than a band-aid after poor sleep, but a shortcut to enhanced cognition, improved mood and possibly improved athletic performance. Premier League footballers are all at it – along with musicians, fighters and business leaders. But if you don't have a dedicated nap-room or a career that allows frequent naps, is it *truly* worthwhile perks to a quick nap for it to be worth the effort? Can you find a dependable method to get to sleep quickly enough? And can you truly ensure you will get up feeling improved, not worse?
Understanding The Reasons for Napping
“Experts note three main reasons for napping in the adult population,” explains a leading sleep and circadian science researcher. “Firstly, there's termed recovery napping, which is what you do after experiencing insufficient sleep the night before. Secondly, there's pre-emptive sleep, when you are pre-empting insufficient sleep ahead, such as if you’re working overnight shifts. The third is called “hedonic napping”, which basically boils down to desire: you have a moment to nap during the day, and it's pleasant to nap.”
The first thing to undertake, then, is to examine your nap motivation. “Daytime sleep can be genuinely useful when night sleeping is being disrupted because of factors outside your control – for example, for a new parent, or recovering from sickness or strenuous activity,” says a sleep specialist. “However, if you take a nap since your sleep at night is unstable or broken, that can be a sign your body's sleep pressure is not where required. In those cases, napping can become part of the problem, instead of the fix. Use napping as a short-term solution for temporary issues – the priority ought to remain a robust and regular overnight rest.”
The Optimal Snooze Time
This means that daytime sleep must not be sufficiently lengthy to affect your overnight rest, and preferably shouldn’t take place post-3 p.m. (depending on when you sleep in the evening). How long is sensible? Recommendations vary. From the most referenced research regarding daytime sleep, experts discovered that space travelers showed a boost of up to 54% in vigilance and a 34% increase in performance following a nap of 26 minutes (to be precise, this counted an initial six-minute nodding-off period). “I recommend using an alarm for 20-30 minutes – most people fall asleep within 10 minutes,” says a sleep coach. “You'll find much recommendations concerning the perfect length for sleeping, however, that can lead individuals to become more worried than anything – and the most counterproductive thing you can possibly do when trying to get to sleep is to be anxious.”
If you’re going to sleep for longer, bypass the 45-60 minute window that promotes sleep grogginess, that spaced-out feeling when you awaken. “Studies would say it’s better to opt for a longer nap of one to one and a half hours than a medium-length one,” says the professor. “45 minutes is enough time to send you into a deep sleep stage and it is more probable to feel disoriented when you get up – while if you extend it a bit longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you will probably to be on the end a full cycle and should wake up feeling more refreshed. Though if you’re sleeping for 90 minutes, it will affect the quality of your sleep in the evening.”
Finding the Right Nap Environment
When it comes to specific techniques, suggestions are diverse. Certain specialists suggest employing comparable habits one would use to promote quality nighttime sleep: a peaceful area, a comfortable bed and as much darkness as possible. Alternatively, experts propose that one could merely snooze on a couch in whatever light is available – to prevent post-nap grogginess and to preserve your sleeping quarters as the place your mind associates with proper sleep. “Napping is notoriously difficult to command,” says a sleep coach. “Without any sleepiness, it is more challenging to get comfortable and basically instruct yourself to nod off. There’s got to be some sleep pressure available to initiate sleep in the first place. Personally, I can often snooze during the day and wake up naturally alarm-free, but what helps a lot of people is to look for an instance when they are naturally somewhat sleepy and just gently ease into sleep.”
Experimentation is key, and when you have few options – such as, when aiming to squeeze in 40 winks on a train or in a work pod – there’s nothing wrong with bringing sleep aids. “In my work with footballers, I suggest that they don’t get used to their own bed for naps, because they’re going to have|they will
