Tune into enough performance podcasters, and it’s simple to think that a nap is a powerful tool: not just a quick fix following poor sleep, but a route to improved recall, a brighter outlook and possibly improved athletic performance. Premier League athletes are all at it – along with musicians, fighters and business leaders. Yet, when you lack a dedicated nap-room or employment that permits frequent naps, is it *truly* worthwhile perks to a short sleep to merit the kerfuffle? Is there a reliable way to fall asleep fast? Furthermore, can you really guarantee you’ll wake up feeling refreshed, not worse?
Identifying The Drive to Snooze
“There are three primary motivations for taking a nap among most adults,” explains a professor of sleep and circadian science professor. “One is termed compensatory napping, essentially what you do when you’ve had poor sleep the previous night. The second is prophylactic napping, where you are anticipating a sleep deficit coming up, such as during graveyard shifts. The third is called “hedonic napping”, which essentially comes down to wanting: you have a moment to nap during the day, and it's enjoyable to do it.”
The initial step to undertake, then, is to examine your nap motivation. “Daytime sleep can be genuinely useful when night sleeping is being disrupted because of factors you cannot change – for instance, for a new parent, or if you are healing from illness or intense exercise,” states a sleep specialist. “Yet when you nap because your night sleep seems unreliable or broken, that’s often a sign your body's sleep pressure is not at the level it needs to be. In such situations, daytime sleep can turn into part of the issue, rather than the answer. Employ naps as a temporary measure to address immediate needs – the focus must always be a solid and consistent night’s sleep.”
The Optimal Nap Duration
This means that napping ought not to be long enough to affect your overnight rest, and ideally are not recommended in the late afternoon (based on when you sleep in the evening). How long is sensible? Advice differs. From the most referenced research regarding daytime sleep, experts discovered that astronauts experienced up to a 54% increase in alertness and a 34% increase in performance post a 26-minute snooze (to be precise, this included a six-minute long falling asleep phase). “I’d suggest using an alarm for 20-30 minutes – the majority doze off quickly,” explains a sleep coach. “There is plenty of advice around concerning the optimal amount of minutes, but that tends to make people feel more worried than anything else – and the worst thing you can do when attempting to fall asleep is to be anxious.”
If you’re going to sleep for longer, bypass the 45-60 minute window that induces sleep inertia, that foggy state upon waking. “Research suggests it’s better to take a lengthier snooze of 60 to 90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” explains the sleep scientist. “45 minutes is enough time to send you into deep sleep and you’re more likely to feel disoriented when you wake up – while if you nap for a little longer to an hour or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to be completing a full cycle and are likely to get up feeling more refreshed. However, if you nap for 90 minutes, it may impact how you sleep that night.”
Establishing the Right Snooze Setting
As for exact methodologies, suggestions are diverse. Some experts propose adopting similar routines you use to foster a good night’s sleep: a peaceful area, a comfortable bed and as much darkness as is feasible. Some advise that you should just doze in a chair in whatever light happens to be around – to prevent sleep inertia and to maintain your sleeping quarters as the place you associate with proper sleep. “Sleep is something really tricky to force,” says a specialist. “Without any sleepiness, it is more challenging to recline and essentially instruct yourself to nod off. There must be some sleep pressure available to initiate sleep initially. For me, it's possible to take a nap in broad daylight and awaken on my own without a timer, but what helps a lot of people is to look for a time when they are naturally feeling a bit drowsy and just gently relax into it.”
It’s worth experimenting, and if you have few options – for example, if attempting to squeeze in some shut-eye during a commute or in a work pod – it's acceptable to use some accessories. “In my work with elite athletes, I suggest that they avoid becoming accustomed to napping in bed, because they’re going to have|they will
