Hear a few performance experts, and it’s simple to convince yourself that napping is a superpower: more than a band-aid following a bad night’s sleep, but a route to enhanced cognition, better spirits and possibly a faster 5k run time. Elite soccer players do it regularly – and so are musicians, mixed martial artists and business leaders. But if you don't have a room for napping or employment that allows frequent naps, is it *truly* enough benefits to a quick nap for it to be worth the effort? Can you find a dependable method to fall asleep fast? And can you truly ensure you will get up feeling better, instead of groggy?
Understanding Your Nap Motivation
“We can identify three primary motivations for daytime sleep in the adult population,” says a professor of circadian rhythm professor. “The first is known as make-up sleep, that is the action you take when you’ve had insufficient sleep overnight. Secondly, there's preparatory napping, when you are anticipating a sleep deficit coming up, for example during graveyard shifts. The third reason is “hedonic napping”, which basically is about desire: there is a chance to doze during the day, and it's enjoyable to nap.”
The primary task to undertake, so, is to examine why you want to nap. “Napping can be genuinely useful when night sleeping is disturbed because of factors you cannot change – such as, if you’re a parent of a newborn, or you’re recovering from illness or strenuous activity,” states a sleep physiologist. “Yet when you’re napping because your night sleep feels fragile or broken, that is frequently an indicator your sleep drive is not as strong as it needs to be. Under those circumstances, daytime sleep can turn into part of the problem, not the solution. Utilize daytime sleep for brief periods to address immediate needs – the focus ought to remain a strong and predictable overnight rest.”
The Optimal Snooze Time
This means that daytime sleep must not be too extended to affect your nighttime sleep, and preferably shouldn’t take place post-3 p.m. (contingent on when you sleep in the evening). What's a reasonable length? Advice differs. In one of a prominent study about napping, experts noted that astronauts experienced a boost of up to 54% in vigilance and a 34% boost in task performance post a 26-minute snooze (to be precise, this involved an initial six-minute falling asleep phase). “I recommend setting a timer for 20 to 30 minutes – many individuals are asleep within 10 minutes,” says a sleep expert. “You'll find much advice around concerning the ideal number of time, however, that can cause people to feel more worried than anything else – and the worst thing you can possibly do when trying to get to sleep is to be anxious.”
Should you decide to sleep for longer, avoid the 45-60 minute window that encourages that sluggish feeling, that disoriented sensation upon waking. “Research suggests it is preferable to have an extended nap lasting 60-90 minutes than a medium-length one,” notes the professor. “Three-quarters of an hour is sufficient to put you into a deep sleep stage making it more likely to feel groggy when you wake up – whereas 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 will probably get up feeling more refreshed. However, if you nap for an hour and a half, it will affect the quality of your sleep in the evening.”
Establishing the Right Nap Environment
Regarding precise methods, recommendations vary. A few professionals suggest using similar routines one would use to promote a good night’s sleep: a quiet room, a cozy bed and minimal light as you can manage. Alternatively, experts propose that one could simply nap in a chair in whatever light is available – to prevent post-nap grogginess and to preserve your bedroom as the environment your brain links with *real* sleep. “Sleep is notoriously difficult to will,” explains an expert. “If you don’t have the urge to sleep, it is more challenging to recline and practically command yourself to nod off. There’s got to be a natural inclination present to initiate sleep initially. For me, it's possible to snooze in broad daylight and awaken on my own alarm-free, though, what aids most folks is to anticipate a time that they’re naturally feeling a bit drowsy and just gently ease into sleep.”
Experimentation is key, and when options are scarce – for example, when aiming to squeeze in a quick nap during a commute or in a soundproof office pod – it is perfectly fine with bringing a few tools. “In my work with elite athletes, I recommend that they don’t get used to napping in bed, as they’re going to have|they will
