Tune into a few self-improvement podcasters, and it’s easy to think that dozing is a powerful tool: more than a quick fix following restless night, but a route to improved recall, improved mood and perhaps improved athletic performance. Premier League soccer players do it regularly – as do musicians, UFC champions & business leaders. But if you lack a special sleep space or employment that allows frequent naps, can there *honestly* worthwhile perks to a burst of shut-eye to justify the kerfuffle? Does there exist a dependable method to fall asleep fast? And can you honestly promise you will arise feeling refreshed, not worse?
Exploring The Nap Motivation
“There are three primary motivations for daytime sleep among most adults,” explains an expert sleep and circadian science specialist. “Firstly, there's known as make-up sleep, essentially the action you take when you’ve had a lack of sleep the night before. Another is preparatory napping, when you are preparing for insufficient sleep in the future, for instance if you’re working graveyard shifts. Finally, there's “appetitive drive”, which basically boils down to the wish: you get a chance to nap during the day, and it's enjoyable to do it.”
The initial step to do, then, is to think about why you want to nap. “Naps can be truly beneficial when overnight rest is disturbed because of factors you cannot change – for instance, for caring for an infant, or recovering after being ill or strenuous activity,” explains a sleep expert. “Yet when you’re napping because your night sleep seems unreliable or broken, that can be a signal your sleep drive is not as strong as required. Under those circumstances, napping can become part of the problem, not the solution. Employ naps for brief periods for short-term problems – the priority should still be a solid and consistent sleep at night.”
The Optimal Nap Duration
Therefore that daytime sleep must not be too extended to affect your sleep at night, and ideally shouldn’t take place in the late afternoon (contingent on when you go to bed in the evening). What duration is wise? Guidelines are mixed. From the most-cited studies about napping, experts found that space travelers had up to a 54% increase in attentiveness plus a 34% rise in task performance post a 26-minute snooze (to be precise, this included a six-minute sleep onset time). “My advice is using an alarm for 20-30 minutes – most people are asleep within 10 minutes,” explains a sleep expert. “There is plenty of advice around regarding the perfect length of time, but that tends to cause people to feel more worried above all – and the most counterproductive thing you can do when trying to fall asleep is to stress over it.”
If you plan to take an extended nap, steer clear of the 45 to 60 minute range that encourages sleep grogginess, that foggy state upon waking. “The science suggests it’s better to have a longer nap lasting 60-90 minutes than a medium-length one,” says the sleep scientist. “45 minutes is sufficient to plunge you into deep sleep making it more likely to feel disoriented when you get up – while if you take it a bit longer to a full sleep cycle, you will probably to finish of a sleep cycle and are likely to get up feeling more alert. However, if you nap for 90 minutes, it can influence your sleep later that night.”
Creating the Perfect Sleep Space
Regarding specific techniques, advice differs. A few professionals recommend adopting the same protocol one would use to encourage a good night’s sleep: a peaceful area, a comfortable bed and as much darkness as is feasible. Some advise that you should merely snooze on the sofa in the existing light is available – to avoid that groggy feeling and to “protect” your bed as the place your mind associates with proper sleep. “Napping is something really tricky to force,” says an expert. “If you don’t have any drowsiness, it is tougher to lie down and practically command yourself to go to sleep. There’s got to be a natural inclination available to initiate sleep initially. For me, it's possible to snooze during the day and awaken on my own without an alarm, though, what aids most folks is to anticipate a moment that they’re naturally feeling a bit drowsy and calmly allow sleep to come.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and should options are scarce – for example, if attempting to grab 40 winks during a commute or in a soundproof office pod – it's acceptable to use sleep aids. “When I’m working with elite athletes, I suggest that they don’t get used to napping in bed, because they’re going to have|they will
