Hear a few self-improvement podcasters, and you'll be easy to think that a nap is a powerful tool: rather than a sticking plaster after a bad night’s sleep, but a route to a better memory, improved mood and possibly a faster 5k run time. Premier League athletes are all at it – and so are professional piano players, UFC champions & business leaders. But if you haven’t got a special sleep space or employment that permits daytime sleep, are there *really* worthwhile perks to a short sleep to justify the hassle? Does there exist a dependable method to get to sleep quickly enough? Plus, is it possible to truly ensure you’ll wake up feeling refreshed, not worse?
Exploring Your Nap Motivation
“Experts note three main reasons for napping for many people,” notes an expert sleep and circadian science specialist. “Firstly, there's what we call compensatory napping, which is what you do after experiencing a lack of sleep overnight. Another is pre-emptive sleep, where you are preparing for sleep loss in the future, for example if you’re working graveyard shifts. The third reason is “pleasure-based sleep”, which simply comes down to the wish: you have a chance to sleep in the afternoon, and it's enjoyable to nap.”
The initial step to do, then, is to think about why you want to nap. “Daytime sleep can be truly beneficial when night sleeping is disturbed due to causes you cannot change – such as, when you are a parent of a newborn, or you’re recovering from illness or strenuous activity,” says a sleep expert. “But if you take a nap because your night sleep is unstable or poor, that’s often an indicator your body's sleep pressure is not as strong as it needs to be. In such situations, daytime sleep can turn into a contributing factor, rather than the answer. Use napping as a temporary measure to address immediate needs – the priority ought to remain a solid and consistent night’s sleep.”
The Perfect Nap Length
Therefore that daytime sleep shouldn’t be sufficiently lengthy to disrupt your nighttime sleep, and preferably are not recommended after about 3pm (contingent on the time you go to bed at night). How long is sensible? Advice differs. From a prominent study on the subject, researchers at Nasa noted that crew members experienced improvements of over 50% in vigilance and a 34% increase in cognitive performance following a nap of 26 minutes (technically, this counted a six-minute nodding-off period). “I recommend setting an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – the majority doze off within 10 minutes,” notes a sleep coach. “You'll find much recommendations concerning the optimal amount of time, yet that often make people feel more stressed than anything – and the most counterproductive thing you can do while aiming to nod off is worry about it.”
Should you decide to nap for a longer period, steer clear of the 45 to 60 minute range that promotes sleep grogginess, that foggy state when you awaken. “The science indicates it's more effective to opt for a lengthier snooze of one to one and a half hours rather than a mid-length nap,” says the expert. “45 minutes is long enough to put you into deep sleep making it more likely to feel disoriented when you wake up – whereas if you take it slightly longer to a full sleep cycle, you’re likely to finish a full cycle and will probably awaken feeling more refreshed. But if you're dozing for an hour and a half, it can influence your sleep in the evening.”
Creating the Right Sleep Space
Regarding exact methodologies, recommendations vary. A few professionals propose adopting the same protocol you use to encourage a good night’s sleep: a quiet room, a supportive surface and maximum darkness as is feasible. Alternatively, experts propose that one could merely snooze on the sofa with ambient lighting is available – to prevent post-nap grogginess and to preserve your sleeping quarters as the environment your brain links with *real* sleep. “Sleep is something really tricky to command,” explains a specialist. “Lacking any drowsiness, it is more challenging to recline and practically tell yourself to go to sleep. There must be some sleep pressure available to start the process to begin with. Personally, I can often snooze in full light and naturally wake up without an alarm, though, what aids many individuals is to wait for a time when they are naturally slightly tired and calmly allow sleep to come.”
It’s worth experimenting, and if options are scarce – such as, when aiming to squeeze in 40 winks while traveling or in a soundproof office pod – it is perfectly fine to use sleep aids. “Coaching elite athletes, I recommend that they don’t get used to napping in bed, because they’re going to have|they will
