Hear plenty of self-improvement experts, and it’s tempting to think that napping is a powerful tool: not just a sticking plaster after a bad night’s sleep, but a route to improved recall, improved mood and maybe quicker running times. Professional athletes are all at it – and so are professional piano players, UFC champions and business leaders. However, if you don't have a dedicated nap-room or a job that encourages frequent naps, is it *truly* worthwhile perks to a quick nap to merit the kerfuffle? Does there exist a dependable method to get to sleep quickly enough? And can you honestly promise you will get up feeling better, instead of groggy?
Understanding Your Drive to Snooze
“We can identify three primary motivations for napping among most adults,” says a leading sleep and circadian science researcher. “The first is known as recovery napping, essentially the action you take after experiencing insufficient sleep the previous night. Secondly, there's preparatory napping, when you are preparing for a sleep deficit coming up, such as when working overnight shifts. Finally, there's “appetitive drive”, which essentially boils down to the wish: you have a chance to doze in the daytime, and it feels nice to do it.”
The primary task to do, then, is to examine your nap motivation. “Naps can be genuinely useful when night sleeping is disturbed because of factors you cannot change – for instance, if you’re a new parent, or recovering from illness or heavy physical exertion,” states a sleep physiologist. “But if you nap as your nighttime sleep seems unreliable or unreliable, that is frequently a signal your sleep drive is not at the level required. In such situations, napping can become part of the issue, instead of the fix. Employ naps as a temporary measure for short-term problems – the focus ought to remain a robust and regular overnight rest.”
The Perfect Nap Length
This means that napping shouldn’t be too extended to affect your sleep at night, and preferably should not occur in the late afternoon (depending on when you go to bed at night). What duration is wise? Recommendations vary. Among the most referenced research regarding daytime sleep, experts discovered that astronauts experienced up to a 54% increase in vigilance plus a 34% rise in task performance after a 26-minute nap (in detail, this involved a six-minute long nodding-off period). “I’d suggest setting an alarm for 20-30 minutes – most people fall asleep quickly,” notes a sleep expert. “There is plenty of recommendations regarding the optimal amount of time, but that tends to make people feel more stressed above all – and the least helpful action you can do when trying to fall asleep is worry about it.”
If you’re going to nap for a longer period, bypass the 45 to 60 minute range that encourages that sluggish feeling, that disoriented sensation upon waking. “Research would say it is preferable to take a lengthier snooze of 60 to 90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” says the professor. “45 minutes is sufficient to send you into deep sleep and it is more probable to feel groggy when you wake up – while if you take it slightly longer to a full sleep cycle, it's likely you'll to be completing a full cycle and will probably get up feeling more refreshed. However, if you're dozing for a long period, it can influence your sleep in the evening.”
Establishing the Right Sleep Space
As for precise methods, suggestions are diverse. A few professionals recommend employing the same protocol one would use to foster a good night’s sleep: a quiet room, a comfortable bed and minimal light as is feasible. Others suggest that it's fine to merely snooze on a couch in whatever light is available – both to discourage that groggy feeling and to preserve your bed as the environment your brain links with nighttime rest. “Falling asleep is something really tricky to will,” says an expert. “If you don’t have any drowsiness, it becomes harder to recline and practically command yourself to go to sleep. There’s got to be some sleep pressure there to start the process in the first place. Personally, I can often snooze in broad daylight and naturally wake up alarm-free, however, what assists many individuals is to look for an instance when they are naturally feeling a bit drowsy and just gently relax into it.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and should your choices are limited – such as, when aiming to squeeze in some shut-eye while traveling or in a work pod – it is perfectly fine to employ sleep aids. “In my work with footballers, I advise that they not rely on their own bed for naps, because they’re going to have|they will
