Hear enough self-improvement podcasters, and it’s easy to believe that napping is a superpower: not just a sticking plaster following restless night, but a route to a better memory, a brighter outlook and maybe quicker running times. Premier League athletes swear by it – and so are professional piano players, mixed martial artists & media moguls. However, if you lack a room for napping or a career that encourages frequent naps, can there *honestly* sufficient advantages to a burst of shut-eye for it to be worth the effort? Does there exist a dependable method to get to sleep quickly enough? And can you honestly promise you will get up feeling refreshed, rather than worse?
Exploring The Drive to Snooze
“Experts note three primary motivations for daytime sleep among most adults,” notes a leading sleep and circadian science professor. “One is termed recovery napping, essentially the action you take when you’ve had insufficient sleep the night before. Secondly, there's pre-emptive sleep, where you are preparing for a sleep deficit coming up, for instance when working on night shifts. The third reason is “pleasure-based sleep”, which essentially comes down to desire: you have an opportunity to nap in the afternoon, and it feels nice to nap.”
The initial step to consider, so, is to think about your nap motivation. “Naps can be truly beneficial when overnight rest is disturbed for reasons you cannot change – such as, when you are a new parent, or you’re recovering after being ill or intense exercise,” says a sleep expert. “Yet when you take a nap since your night sleep feels fragile or broken, that can be a signal your sleep drive is not as strong as it needs to be. Under those circumstances, daytime sleep can turn into part of the issue, not the solution. Employ naps for brief periods to address immediate needs – the priority ought to remain a robust and regular overnight rest.”
The Optimal Snooze Time
This means that daytime sleep must not be sufficiently lengthy to interfere with your overnight rest, and ideally should not occur post-3 p.m. (depending on what time you sleep at night). What's a reasonable length? Guidelines are mixed. In one of a prominent study regarding daytime sleep, space agency scientists noted that space travelers experienced improvements of over 50% in vigilance and a 34% increase in performance following a nap of 26 minutes (technically, this counted a six-minute nodding-off period). “My advice is setting an alarm for half an hour or less – the majority doze off within 10 minutes,” notes a specialist. “There’s a lot of guidance out there regarding the ideal number for sleeping, however, that can make people feel more anxious above all – and the worst thing you can do while aiming to fall asleep is to stress over it.”
If you plan to take an extended nap, bypass the 45-60 minute window that promotes sleep grogginess, that disoriented sensation when you awaken. “Studies would say it's more effective to have an extended nap of one to one and a half hours rather than a mid-length nap,” notes the expert. “Forty-five minutes is enough time to plunge you into a deep sleep stage and you’re more likely to feel disoriented upon awakening – while if you nap for slightly longer to 60 or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to be on the end of a sleep cycle and will probably awaken feeling more refreshed. However, if you're dozing for a long period, it can influence the quality of your sleep later that night.”
Creating an Ideal Sleep Space
Regarding exact methodologies, suggestions are diverse. Some experts suggest adopting the same protocol you’d use to encourage a good night’s sleep: a silent space, a cozy bed and as much darkness as possible. Alternatively, experts propose that one could merely snooze on the sofa with ambient lighting happens to be around – both to discourage post-nap grogginess and to “protect” your bed as the space your brain links with nighttime rest. “Sleep is quite challenging to command,” says an expert. “Without any sleepiness, it is tougher to get comfortable and basically instruct yourself to nod off. There must be some drive available to initiate sleep in the first place. For me, it's possible to take a nap during the day and wake up naturally without an alarm, however, what assists many individuals is to look for a time that they’re naturally somewhat sleepy and then simply ease into sleep.”
Experimentation is key, and should your choices are limited – such as, if attempting to squeeze in some shut-eye during a commute or in a work pod – it is perfectly fine to use some accessories. “When I’m working with footballers, I suggest that they don’t get used to their own bed for naps, as they’re going to have|they will
