Listen to enough productivity experts, and it’s easy to think that a nap is a powerful tool: more than a band-aid following a bad night’s sleep, but a shortcut towards a better memory, improved mood and possibly improved athletic performance. Premier League athletes do it regularly – as do musicians, UFC champions & media moguls. However, if you don't have a dedicated nap-room or a career that allows daytime sleep, are there *really* enough benefits to a burst of shut-eye for it to be worth the kerfuffle? Does there exist a reliable way to nod off promptly? Furthermore, can you truly ensure you will get up feeling refreshed, instead of groggy?
Understanding Your Reasons for Napping
“Experts note three primary motivations for napping for many people,” explains a leading circadian rhythm researcher. “The first is known as recovery napping, which is what you do after experiencing insufficient sleep the previous night. Secondly, there's preparatory napping, which involves pre-empting insufficient sleep coming up, for instance if you’re working graveyard shifts. The third is called “appetitive drive”, which simply is about wanting: there is an opportunity to nap in the daytime, and it's pleasant to indulge.”
The primary task to do, therefore, is to examine your nap motivation. “Daytime sleep can be really helpful when nighttime sleep is being disrupted because of factors beyond your control – such as, if you’re a new parent, or if you are healing after being ill or strenuous activity,” says a sleep expert. “But if you’re napping as your sleep at night feels fragile or broken, that’s often a signal your body's sleep pressure is not as strong as it needs to be. Under those circumstances, napping can become part of the problem, not the solution. Utilize daytime sleep for brief periods to address immediate needs – the priority ought to remain a solid and consistent sleep at night.”
The Ideal Snooze Time
This means that napping ought not to be too extended to affect your nighttime sleep, and preferably are not recommended in the late afternoon (depending on what time you retire at night). What duration is wise? Advice differs. Among a prominent study about napping, researchers at Nasa found that crew members experienced up to a 54% increase in attentiveness and a 34% increase in cognitive performance after a 26-minute nap (to be precise, this included a six-minute nodding-off period). “My advice is setting an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – the majority are asleep quickly,” says a sleep expert. “You'll find much recommendations about the optimal amount of minutes, yet that often cause people to feel more stressed than anything – and the worst thing one can do while aiming to nod off is worry about it.”
If you plan to nap for a longer period, steer clear of the period between 45 and 60 minutes that promotes that sluggish feeling, that spaced-out feeling when you awaken. “Studies indicates it’s better to have an extended nap of one to one and a half hours compared to a medium-length nap,” explains the sleep scientist. “Three-quarters of an hour is sufficient to put you into a deep sleep stage and it is more probable to feel disoriented upon awakening – however, if you take it a bit longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you will probably to be on the end a full cycle and are likely to wake up feeling more refreshed. But if you nap for 90 minutes, it will affect your sleep later that night.”
Creating an Ideal Snooze Setting
When it comes to exact methodologies, suggestions are diverse. Some experts propose using comparable habits one would use to encourage quality nighttime sleep: a peaceful area, a cozy bed and as much darkness as is feasible. Others suggest that it's fine to just doze on a couch with ambient lighting happens to be around – to prevent sleep inertia and to “protect” your sleeping quarters as the environment your mind associates with proper sleep. “Sleep is quite challenging to force,” notes a specialist. “Without any drowsiness, it is tougher to get comfortable and essentially tell yourself to nod off. There’s got to be some sleep pressure present to bring the sleep on initially. Personally, I can often snooze in full light and awaken on my own without a timer, however, what assists many individuals is to anticipate an instance that they’re naturally feeling a bit drowsy and just gently ease into sleep.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and if you have few options – for instance, if you’re trying to fit in some shut-eye on a train or at the office – it is perfectly fine to employ some accessories. “Coaching footballers, I recommend that they avoid becoming accustomed to sleeping in their bed, because they’re going to have|they will
