Listen to a few self-improvement gurus, making it easy to believe that a nap is a superpower: more than a band-aid following poor sleep, but a path to improved recall, a brighter outlook and maybe quicker running times. Premier League athletes swear by it – and so are concert pianists, mixed martial artists & business leaders. Yet, when you don't have a special sleep space or a career that allows frequent naps, is it *truly* sufficient advantages to a quick nap to justify the hassle? Can you find a surefire technique to get to sleep quickly enough? Plus, is it possible to truly ensure you will arise feeling refreshed, not worse?
Identifying Your Nap Motivation
“Experts note three main reasons for taking a nap for many people,” explains an expert sleep and circadian science researcher. “The first is known as compensatory napping, essentially what happens following poor sleep the previous night. Another is preparatory napping, where you are pre-empting insufficient sleep in the future, for instance when working graveyard shifts. The third reason is “hedonic napping”, which simply is about wanting: there is a chance to sleep in the daytime, and it feels nice to do it.”
The first thing to do, then, is to think about why you want to nap. “Napping can be genuinely useful when night sleeping gets interrupted due to causes outside your control – for instance, for a new parent, or you’re recovering from sickness or strenuous activity,” states a sleep physiologist. “However, if you take a nap as your night sleep feels fragile or poor, that is frequently an indicator your sleep drive is not as strong as it should be. In such situations, napping can become a contributing factor, instead of the fix. Utilize daytime sleep for brief periods to address immediate needs – the main goal must always be a strong and predictable overnight rest.”
The Ideal Nap Length
This means that napping shouldn’t be too extended to affect your sleep at night, and best should not occur post-3 p.m. (based on the time you go to bed in the evening). How long is sensible? Advice differs. In one of the most referenced research on the subject, experts noted that crew members showed a boost of up to 54% in vigilance plus a 34% rise in performance post a 26-minute snooze (in detail, this included a six-minute long nodding-off period). “I recommend setting an alarm for half an hour or less – many individuals are asleep quickly,” says a specialist. “You'll find much advice around regarding the perfect length for sleeping, yet that often cause people to feel more stressed than anything – and the most counterproductive thing you can do when trying to get to sleep is to stress over it.”
If you’re going to nap for a longer period, avoid the period between 45 and 60 minutes that promotes sleep inertia, that foggy state when you awaken. “The science suggests it’s better to have an extended nap of one to one and a half hours compared to a medium-length nap,” explains the expert. “Three-quarters of an hour is sufficient to plunge you into slow-wave sleep making it more likely to feel disoriented when you get up – however, if you extend it a little longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you’re likely to finish of a sleep cycle and are likely to get up feeling more alert. But if you’re sleeping for a long period, it can influence how you sleep in the evening.”
Establishing an Ideal Sleep Space
When it comes to precise methods, advice differs. Certain specialists recommend adopting comparable habits one would use to promote quality nighttime sleep: a quiet room, a comfortable bed and as much darkness as you can manage. Others suggest that it's fine to just doze on the sofa in the existing light is present – both to discourage sleep inertia and to “protect” your bed as the space you associate with *real* sleep. “Sleep is something really tricky to force,” says a specialist. “If you don’t have the urge to sleep, it becomes harder to get comfortable and essentially command yourself to go to sleep. You need a natural inclination available to start the process in the first place. For me, it's possible to take a nap during the day and wake up naturally without a timer, however, what assists most folks is to wait for an instance where they feel naturally somewhat sleepy and calmly ease into sleep.”
It’s worth experimenting, and when you have few options – for example, if you’re trying to squeeze in a quick nap while traveling or in a soundproof office pod – there’s nothing wrong with bringing sleep aids. “When I’m working with footballers, I advise that they don’t get used to napping in bed, as they’re going to have|they will
