Hear enough productivity podcasters, and it’s tempting to believe that a nap is a powerful tool: more than a sticking plaster after poor sleep, but a route to a better memory, improved mood and perhaps quicker running times. Professional soccer players swear by it – along with professional piano players, UFC champions & business leaders. But if you don't have a room for napping or employment that permits regular snoozing, is it *truly* enough benefits to a burst of shut-eye to justify the effort? Is there a reliable way to fall asleep fast? And can you honestly promise you will get up feeling better, instead of groggy?
Identifying The Reasons for Napping
“Experts note three key drivers for taking a nap among most adults,” notes a professor of sleep and circadian science professor. “The first is what we call compensatory napping, that is what you do after experiencing insufficient sleep overnight. Secondly, there's prophylactic napping, where you are anticipating sleep loss coming up, for instance when working overnight shifts. The third reason is “hedonic napping”, which basically boils down to wanting: there is a chance to doze in the daytime, and it's pleasant to do it.”
The primary task to undertake, so, is to think about your nap motivation. “Daytime sleep can be genuinely useful when night sleeping is disturbed due to causes you cannot change – such as, for a parent of a newborn, or you’re recovering from illness or intense exercise,” explains a sleep specialist. “But if you’re napping since your nighttime sleep is unstable or broken, that’s often an indicator your sleep drive is not at the level required. Under those circumstances, napping can become part of the problem, rather than the answer. Use napping as a short-term solution for temporary issues – the main goal ought to remain a robust and regular sleep at night.”
The Perfect Nap Duration
Therefore that napping must not be too extended to affect your nighttime sleep, and preferably shouldn’t take place in the late afternoon (based on what time you go to bed at night). What's a reasonable length? Advice differs. In one of the most referenced research regarding daytime sleep, space agency scientists noted that space travelers experienced improvements of over 50% in attentiveness plus a 34% rise in cognitive performance following a nap of 26 minutes (in detail, this included a six-minute long nodding-off period). “My advice is using an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – most people doze off quickly,” says a specialist. “There is plenty of guidance out there regarding the optimal amount for sleeping, however, that can lead individuals to become more anxious than anything – and the most counterproductive thing you can possibly do when trying to fall asleep is to stress over it.”
If you plan to nap for a longer period, avoid the 45 to 60 minute range that induces that sluggish feeling, that disoriented sensation upon waking. “The science suggests it's more effective to take a lengthier snooze of 60 to 90 minutes than a medium-length one,” explains the professor. “Forty-five minutes is long enough to send you into slow-wave sleep making it more likely to feel disoriented upon awakening – whereas if you take it a bit longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you’re likely to be completing a full cycle and should get up feeling more refreshed. Though if you’re sleeping for 90 minutes, it may impact your sleep that night.”
Finding the Perfect Nap Environment
As for exact methodologies, suggestions are diverse. Certain specialists recommend using comparable habits one would use to promote a good night’s sleep: a quiet room, a comfortable bed and maximum darkness as you can manage. Alternatively, experts propose that you should merely snooze on a couch with ambient lighting is present – to avoid that groggy feeling and to “protect” your sleeping quarters as the environment your brain links with nighttime rest. “Falling asleep is something really tricky to command,” says a sleep coach. “If you don’t have the urge to sleep, it becomes harder to lie down and practically command yourself to go to sleep. You need some drive there to start the process in the first place. Personally, I can often nap during the day and wake up naturally without an alarm, however, what assists a lot of people is to look for an instance where they feel naturally feeling a bit drowsy and calmly ease into sleep.”
Experimentation is key, and when you have few options – such as, when aiming to squeeze in a quick nap while traveling or in a work pod – there’s nothing wrong with bringing sleep aids. “In my work with footballers, I suggest that they avoid becoming accustomed to their own bed for naps, because they’re going to have|they will
