Hear enough performance gurus, and it’s easy to convince yourself that a nap is a secret weapon: more than a sticking plaster following poor sleep, but a shortcut towards a better memory, a brighter outlook and maybe a faster 5k run time. Premier League athletes are all at it – along with professional piano players, fighters & media moguls. Yet, when you don't have a dedicated nap-room or employment that permits daytime sleep, are there *really* sufficient advantages to a quick nap to justify the effort? Does there exist a dependable method to fall asleep fast? And can you really guarantee you will arise feeling refreshed, not worse?
Understanding Your Nap Motivation
“There are three primary motivations for taking a nap in the adult population,” explains a professor of circadian rhythm researcher. “Firstly, there's termed recovery napping, that is the action you take after experiencing a lack of sleep the night before. Another is prophylactic napping, where you are preparing for insufficient sleep in the future, for instance when working overnight shifts. The third reason is “appetitive drive”, which essentially comes down to wanting: you get a chance to sleep in the afternoon, and it's pleasant to indulge.”
The first thing to undertake, so, is consider why you want to nap. “Daytime sleep can be really helpful when overnight rest gets interrupted for reasons beyond your control – such as, for a parent of a newborn, or you’re recovering after being ill or strenuous activity,” says a sleep expert. “Yet when you nap since your sleep at night is unstable or broken, that can be a sign your sleep drive is not at the level it needs to be. Under those circumstances, daytime sleep can turn into part of the problem, not the solution. Utilize daytime sleep as a temporary measure for temporary issues – the priority should still be a solid and consistent sleep at night.”
The Perfect Nap Duration
Therefore that napping shouldn’t be long enough to affect your nighttime sleep, and ideally shouldn’t take place in the late afternoon (based on the time you sleep overnight). What duration is wise? Advice differs. From the most-cited studies regarding daytime sleep, space agency scientists noted that astronauts had a boost of up to 54% in attentiveness and a 34% increase in performance following a nap of 26 minutes (technically, this counted an initial six-minute nodding-off period). “My advice is using an alarm for 20-30 minutes – the majority fall asleep quickly,” notes a specialist. “You'll find much recommendations concerning the perfect length for sleeping, but that tends to make people feel more stressed than anything else – and the least helpful action you can possibly do when trying to nod off is to stress over it.”
If you’re going to nap for a longer period, steer clear of the period between 45 and 60 minutes that induces sleep grogginess, that disoriented sensation when you awaken. “The science suggests it's more effective to have a lengthier snooze of one to one and a half hours than a medium-length one,” notes the sleep scientist. “45 minutes is sufficient to send you into slow-wave sleep and it is more probable to feel groggy upon awakening – while if you extend it slightly longer to a full sleep cycle, you’re likely to finish a full cycle and will probably wake up feeling more refreshed. But if you're dozing for a long period, it will affect the quality of your sleep later that night.”
Finding an Ideal Snooze Setting
Regarding exact methodologies, advice differs. Some experts recommend adopting similar routines you use to foster quality nighttime sleep: a peaceful area, a supportive surface and maximum darkness as is feasible. Some advise that it's fine to just doze on the sofa with ambient lighting is available – to prevent post-nap grogginess and to preserve your bedroom as the space you associate with nighttime rest. “Sleep is quite challenging to command,” explains a specialist. “Without any sleepiness, it becomes harder to recline and practically tell yourself to go to sleep. There’s got to be some drive available to initiate sleep initially. For me, it's possible to nap during the day and awaken on my own without a timer, but what helps most folks is to wait for an instance when they are naturally slightly tired and just gently relax into it.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and should options are scarce – such as, when aiming to fit in some shut-eye during a commute or in a soundproof office pod – there’s nothing wrong to employ sleep aids. “Coaching professional sportspeople, I suggest that they don’t get used to their own bed for naps, as they’re going to have|they will
