Tune into plenty of self-improvement experts, and it’s simple to believe that a nap is a powerful tool: more than a quick fix after poor sleep, but a path towards a better memory, improved mood and perhaps quicker running times. Elite soccer players do it regularly – and so are musicians, mixed martial artists & high-profile executives. But if you don't have a dedicated nap-room or a job that encourages frequent naps, is it *truly* enough benefits to a quick nap for it to be worth the kerfuffle? Does there exist a surefire technique to get to sleep quickly enough? And can you honestly promise you will arise feeling refreshed, not worse?
Identifying Your Drive to Snooze
“Experts note three main reasons for napping for many people,” explains a professor of sleep science specialist. “One is termed compensatory napping, which is the action you take when you’ve had a lack of sleep the night before. Another is pre-emptive sleep, where you are pre-empting insufficient sleep in the future, such as when working graveyard shifts. Finally, there's “hedonic napping”, which essentially comes down to desire: you get a moment to nap in the afternoon, and it feels nice to do it.”
The primary task to do, so, is to examine why you want to nap. “Daytime sleep can be truly beneficial when overnight rest is being disrupted because of factors you cannot change – such as, when you are a new parent, or recovering from sickness or intense exercise,” says a sleep specialist. “Yet when you nap since your sleep at night is unstable or poor, that is frequently a signal your need for sleep is not as strong as required. In such situations, napping can become part of the issue, instead of the fix. Utilize daytime sleep for brief periods to address immediate needs – the main goal must always be a robust and regular sleep at night.”
The Optimal Snooze Time
Therefore that daytime sleep ought not to be too extended to interfere with your nighttime sleep, and preferably should not occur after about 3pm (depending on what time you go to bed at night). What duration is wise? Guidelines are mixed. From the most referenced research on the subject, researchers at Nasa noted that crew members experienced a boost of up to 54% in attentiveness and a 34% boost in performance following a nap of 26 minutes (in detail, this included an initial six-minute nodding-off period). “I recommend using an alarm for half an hour or less – most people are asleep in under ten minutes,” says a sleep coach. “You'll find much advice around about the optimal amount of minutes, however, that can cause people to feel more anxious than anything – and the most counterproductive thing you can do when trying to get to sleep is to be anxious.”
If you plan to take an extended nap, bypass the 45 to 60 minute range that promotes sleep inertia, that disoriented sensation upon waking. “Research suggests it’s better to have an extended nap of 60 to 90 minutes than a medium-length one,” explains the sleep scientist. “Forty-five minutes is enough time to put you into deep sleep and you’re more likely to feel sluggish upon awakening – however, if you extend it a little longer to a full sleep cycle, it's likely you'll to be completing a full cycle and will probably awaken feeling more rejuvenated. However, if you’re sleeping for a long period, it will affect the quality of your sleep that night.”
Finding an Ideal Nap Environment
As for exact methodologies, recommendations vary. Some experts suggest employing comparable habits one would use to foster a good night’s sleep: a quiet room, a cozy bed and maximum darkness as you can manage. Alternatively, experts propose that one could simply nap in a chair with ambient lighting happens to be around – to prevent sleep inertia and to “protect” your sleeping quarters as the space your brain links with proper sleep. “Sleep is quite challenging to will,” explains an expert. “Lacking any sleepiness, it is more challenging to lie down and essentially command yourself to fall asleep. There must be some drive available to start the process in the first place. I can usually take a nap in full light and naturally wake up without a timer, however, what assists a lot of people is to anticipate an instance that they’re naturally slightly tired and calmly ease into sleep.”
It’s worth experimenting, and if your choices are limited – for example, if you’re trying to fit in a quick nap on a train or in a soundproof office pod – there’s nothing wrong to use sleep aids. “Coaching footballers, I recommend that they avoid becoming accustomed to napping in bed, as they’re going to have|they will
