Hear a few performance gurus, making it tempting to think that dozing is a superpower: rather than a sticking plaster after restless night, but a route to improved recall, better spirits and possibly quicker running times. Elite soccer players swear by it – along with professional piano players, mixed martial artists & media moguls. However, if you lack a special sleep space or a job that allows daytime sleep, is it *truly* sufficient advantages to a burst of shut-eye to merit the effort? Is there a reliable way to fall asleep fast? And can you truly ensure you’ll wake up feeling refreshed, not worse?
Identifying The Reasons for Napping
“We can identify three main reasons for napping among most adults,” says a professor of circadian rhythm researcher. “The first is known as compensatory napping, essentially what you do after experiencing a lack of sleep the previous night. The second is pre-emptive sleep, where you are pre-empting insufficient sleep in the future, such as when working graveyard shifts. Finally, there's “appetitive drive”, which simply comes down to desire: you have a chance to nap during the day, and it's enjoyable to do it.”
The initial step to consider, then, is to think about your nap motivation. “Daytime sleep can be truly beneficial when nighttime sleep is being disrupted due to causes you cannot change – such as, for a new parent, or you’re recovering from illness or strenuous activity,” says a sleep expert. “Yet when you take a nap since your nighttime sleep is unstable or broken, that’s often an indicator your need for sleep is not where required. In such situations, napping can become part of the issue, not the solution. Use napping as a short-term solution for short-term problems – the main goal should still be a solid and consistent sleep at night.”
The Ideal Nap Duration
Therefore that naps ought not to be too extended to affect your nighttime sleep, and preferably are not recommended post-3 p.m. (depending on when you go to bed overnight). How long is sensible? Recommendations vary. In one of the most-cited studies about napping, researchers at Nasa found that astronauts had a boost of up to 54% in vigilance and a 34% boost in cognitive performance post a 26-minute snooze (technically, this counted an initial six-minute sleep onset time). “I’d suggest using an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – the majority fall asleep within 10 minutes,” notes a sleep expert. “There’s a lot of recommendations concerning the perfect length of minutes, however, that can lead individuals to become more anxious than anything else – and the most counterproductive thing you can do while aiming to fall asleep is to stress over it.”
If you’re going to sleep for longer, steer clear of the period between 45 and 60 minutes that promotes sleep inertia, that spaced-out feeling upon waking. “Studies suggests it’s better to opt for an extended nap lasting 60-90 minutes than a medium-length one,” explains the expert. “45 minutes is long enough to send you into deep sleep making it more likely to feel disoriented when you get up – however, if you take it slightly longer to a full sleep cycle, you will probably to finish a natural sleep cycle and are likely to wake up feeling more refreshed. But if you nap for a long period, it will affect the quality of your sleep later that night.”
Finding the Right Sleep Space
Regarding exact methodologies, suggestions are diverse. Some experts suggest adopting similar routines you use to foster a good night’s sleep: a quiet room, a cozy bed and minimal light as possible. Alternatively, experts propose that you should merely snooze on a couch in whatever light is present – to prevent that groggy feeling and to maintain your bedroom as the environment your brain links with *real* sleep. “Sleep is notoriously difficult to command,” notes an expert. “If you don’t have the urge to sleep, it is tougher to get comfortable and essentially tell yourself to fall asleep. You need a natural inclination there to bring the sleep on initially. Personally, I can often nap in broad daylight and naturally wake up alarm-free, though, what aids most folks is to anticipate an instance that they’re naturally slightly tired and then simply relax into it.”
It’s worth experimenting, and if options are scarce – such as, when aiming to fit in 40 winks while traveling or in a work pod – it is perfectly fine to use a few tools. “Coaching professional sportspeople, I suggest that they don’t get used to napping in bed, as they’re going to have|they will
