Hear a few performance podcasters, making it easy to believe that napping is a powerful tool: more than a band-aid following poor sleep, but a shortcut to improved recall, improved mood and maybe a faster 5k run time. Professional footballers do it regularly – along with professional piano players, fighters & business leaders. However, if you don't have a dedicated nap-room or a job that permits frequent naps, are there *really* sufficient advantages to a burst of shut-eye for it to be worth the effort? Is there a reliable way to fall asleep fast? Furthermore, can you truly ensure you will get up feeling better, rather than worse?
Exploring Your Reasons for Napping
“Experts note three main reasons for napping in the adult population,” explains a leading circadian rhythm researcher. “Firstly, there's termed recovery napping, that is what happens when you’ve had a lack of sleep the night before. Another is prophylactic napping, when you are pre-empting insufficient sleep ahead, such as during overnight shifts. The third reason is “pleasure-based sleep”, which essentially boils down to wanting: you have a chance to doze in the daytime, and it's pleasant to nap.”
The first thing to do, therefore, is to think about your nap motivation. “Napping can be truly beneficial when nighttime sleep is being disrupted due to causes beyond your control – for example, when you are caring for an infant, or you’re recovering after being ill or heavy physical exertion,” states a sleep expert. “However, if you take a nap since your nighttime sleep seems unreliable or poor, that can be a sign your sleep drive is not where required. In such situations, napping can become part of the problem, not the solution. Use napping as a temporary measure to address immediate needs – the priority should still be a robust and regular night’s sleep.”
The Optimal Snooze Time
Therefore that daytime sleep shouldn’t be too extended to disrupt your sleep at night, and best should not occur post-3 p.m. (depending on the time you go to bed at night). What duration is wise? Guidelines are mixed. In one of the most-cited studies regarding daytime sleep, space agency scientists found that crew members had up to a 54% increase in attentiveness and a 34% boost in cognitive performance post a 26-minute snooze (in detail, this involved a six-minute sleep onset time). “My advice is setting an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – many individuals are asleep in under ten minutes,” notes a sleep expert. “You'll find much guidance out there regarding the ideal number of minutes, yet that often make people feel more stressed than anything else – and the most counterproductive thing you can possibly do when trying to fall asleep is worry about it.”
If you’re going to take an extended nap, bypass the 45-60 minute window that encourages that sluggish feeling, that spaced-out feeling upon waking. “Research indicates it's more effective to take a longer nap lasting 60-90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” says the expert. “Forty-five minutes is sufficient to send you into deep sleep and you’re more likely to feel groggy upon awakening – however, if you extend it a bit longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you’re likely to finish a natural sleep cycle and are likely to awaken feeling more rejuvenated. Though if you're dozing for a long period, it can influence how you sleep later that night.”
Finding the Right Snooze Setting
As for specific techniques, suggestions are diverse. Some experts suggest using comparable habits you use to encourage a good night’s sleep: a peaceful area, a supportive surface and as much darkness as you can manage. Alternatively, experts propose that it's fine to merely snooze on a couch in the existing light happens to be around – to avoid that groggy feeling and to maintain your bed as the place you associate with nighttime rest. “Napping is quite challenging to command,” notes an expert. “Lacking any drowsiness, it is tougher to get comfortable and essentially tell yourself to nod off. There must be some sleep pressure present to bring the sleep on in the first place. I can usually nap in full light and awaken on my own without a timer, though, what aids most folks is to wait for an instance when they are naturally somewhat sleepy and just gently allow sleep to come.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and should options are scarce – for example, if attempting to fit in 40 winks on a train or in a soundproof office pod – it is perfectly fine to use some accessories. “In my work with footballers, I advise that they don’t get used to sleeping in their bed, because they’re going to have|they will
