Listen to a few self-improvement podcasters, making it simple to believe that a nap is a powerful tool: not just a quick fix following poor sleep, but a route towards improved recall, improved mood and perhaps a faster 5k run time. Professional athletes swear by it – along with professional piano players, mixed martial artists and media moguls. However, if you don't have a special sleep space or a job that permits frequent naps, can there *honestly* worthwhile perks to a short sleep to merit the kerfuffle? Can you find a reliable way to fall asleep fast? Plus, is it possible to truly ensure you’ll wake up feeling improved, not worse?
Exploring The Nap Motivation
“We can identify three primary motivations for napping in the adult population,” notes an expert sleep and circadian science professor. “The first is termed recovery napping, that is what happens when you’ve had poor sleep the previous night. The second is prophylactic napping, which involves pre-empting insufficient sleep ahead, for example during graveyard shifts. The third is called “pleasure-based sleep”, which basically comes down to wanting: you have an opportunity to nap in the afternoon, and it feels nice to nap.”
The primary task to consider, so, is to examine your reason for napping. “Naps can be truly beneficial when overnight rest is being disrupted due to causes outside your control – for example, when you are a parent of a newborn, or recovering after being ill or intense exercise,” says a sleep physiologist. “However, if you take a nap because your night sleep feels fragile or broken, that’s often a signal your sleep drive is not where required. In those cases, daytime sleep can turn into part of the problem, instead of the fix. Use napping for brief periods for short-term problems – the focus ought to remain a strong and predictable overnight rest.”
The Perfect Snooze Time
This implies that naps shouldn’t be long enough to affect your overnight rest, and preferably should not occur after about 3pm (contingent on when you go to bed in the evening). What duration is wise? Guidelines are mixed. Among the most-cited studies regarding daytime sleep, space agency scientists noted that crew members showed improvements of over 50% in attentiveness and a 34% increase in performance post a 26-minute snooze (in detail, this involved a six-minute falling asleep phase). “I’d suggest setting a timer for 20-30 minutes – many individuals are asleep in under ten minutes,” explains a sleep coach. “There’s a lot of recommendations regarding the optimal amount of time, however, that can make people feel more worried above all – and the most counterproductive thing you can do while aiming to fall asleep is worry about it.”
If you plan to take an extended nap, bypass the period between 45 and 60 minutes that encourages that sluggish feeling, that foggy state when you awaken. “Studies indicates it is preferable to take an extended nap lasting 60-90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” notes the sleep scientist. “Forty-five minutes is long enough to plunge you into deep sleep and it is more probable to feel groggy when you wake up – while if you nap for a bit longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you will probably to finish a natural sleep cycle and should wake up feeling more rejuvenated. However, if you nap for 90 minutes, it will affect your sleep in the evening.”
Finding the Right Sleep Space
Regarding precise methods, recommendations vary. Some experts propose adopting the same protocol one would use to promote quality nighttime sleep: a silent space, a comfortable bed and maximum darkness as you can manage. Alternatively, experts propose that it's fine to merely snooze in a chair in the existing light is present – to avoid post-nap grogginess and to “protect” your sleeping quarters as the place you associate with nighttime rest. “Sleep is quite challenging to command,” notes an expert. “If you don’t have any drowsiness, it becomes harder to get comfortable and practically tell yourself to go to sleep. There’s got to be a natural inclination there to initiate sleep in the first place. Personally, I can often nap in full light and awaken on my own without an alarm, though, what aids a lot of people is to anticipate a moment when they are naturally feeling a bit drowsy and just gently ease into sleep.”
It’s worth experimenting, and when options are scarce – such as, if attempting to fit in a quick nap on a train or in a soundproof office pod – it is perfectly fine to employ sleep aids. “When I’m working with professional sportspeople, I suggest that they not rely on napping in bed, because they’re going to have|they will
