Listen to enough self-improvement podcasters, and you'll be tempting to convince yourself that dozing is a superpower: more than a band-aid after restless night, but a shortcut to improved recall, better spirits and perhaps improved athletic performance. Premier League soccer players do it regularly – and so are professional piano players, UFC champions & media moguls. Yet, when you lack a dedicated nap-room or a career that permits regular snoozing, is it *truly* sufficient advantages to a quick nap for it to be worth the effort? Can you find a dependable method to nod off promptly? And can you truly ensure you will get up feeling refreshed, instead of groggy?
Understanding The Nap Motivation
“Experts note three key drivers for taking a nap in the adult population,” notes an expert sleep and circadian science researcher. “Firstly, there's termed compensatory napping, that is what happens after experiencing a lack of sleep the previous night. The second is pre-emptive sleep, where you are preparing for a sleep deficit ahead, such as when working overnight shifts. Finally, there's “pleasure-based sleep”, which basically boils down to the wish: you have a chance to doze during the day, and it's enjoyable to indulge.”
The primary task to do, therefore, is consider why you want to nap. “Daytime sleep can be really helpful when nighttime sleep is being disrupted due to causes you cannot change – such as, if you’re a parent of a newborn, or recovering after being ill or strenuous activity,” explains a sleep physiologist. “But if you’re napping because your night sleep is unstable or poor, that can be an indicator your body's sleep pressure is not as strong as it should be. In such situations, napping can become part of the issue, instead of the fix. Employ naps as a short-term solution for temporary issues – the priority ought to remain a solid and consistent sleep at night.”
The Perfect Nap Length
Therefore that napping must not be long enough to affect your sleep at night, and ideally shouldn’t take place after about 3pm (contingent on the time you go to bed overnight). What's a reasonable length? Recommendations vary. From the most referenced research about napping, researchers at Nasa found that crew members showed up to a 54% increase in alertness and a 34% increase in performance post a 26-minute snooze (technically, this included an initial six-minute falling asleep phase). “I recommend setting a timer for 20-30 minutes – most people doze off within 10 minutes,” says a specialist. “There is plenty of advice around concerning the ideal number of minutes, but that tends to lead individuals to become more stressed above all – and the least helpful action you can possibly do while aiming to fall asleep is to stress over it.”
If you’re going to nap for a longer period, bypass the period between 45 and 60 minutes that promotes sleep grogginess, that foggy state upon waking. “Studies suggests it's more effective to opt for an extended nap of 60 to 90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” explains the professor. “Forty-five minutes is enough time to send you into slow-wave sleep and it is more probable to feel groggy when you wake up – while if you extend it a little longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you’re likely to be on the end of a sleep cycle and are likely to get up feeling more alert. But if you're dozing for an hour and a half, it can influence your sleep later that night.”
Establishing the Perfect Snooze Setting
As for precise methods, recommendations vary. Some experts recommend adopting similar routines you’d use to encourage quality nighttime sleep: a silent space, a cozy bed and minimal light as you can manage. Alternatively, experts propose that it's fine to merely snooze on a couch in whatever light happens to be around – to prevent that groggy feeling and to preserve your bedroom as the environment your mind associates with nighttime rest. “Sleep is notoriously difficult to force,” notes a specialist. “Lacking any drowsiness, it becomes harder to lie down and basically instruct yourself to nod off. There must be some drive there to bring the sleep on to begin with. For me, it's possible to snooze in full light and naturally wake up without a timer, but what helps many individuals is to anticipate a moment where they feel naturally somewhat sleepy and just gently ease into sleep.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and when your choices are limited – for instance, if you’re trying to squeeze in some shut-eye on a train or at the office – it is perfectly fine to use a few tools. “When I’m working with footballers, I suggest that they avoid becoming accustomed to their own bed for naps, because they’re going to have|they will
