Hear enough self-improvement gurus, and it’s easy to believe that a nap is a superpower: rather than a quick fix following a bad night’s sleep, but a route to a better memory, a brighter outlook and possibly improved athletic performance. Elite soccer players swear by it – and so are concert pianists, fighters & media moguls. However, if you lack a dedicated nap-room or a job that allows regular snoozing, are there *really* sufficient advantages to a burst of shut-eye for it to be worth the effort? Can you find a surefire technique to get to sleep quickly enough? And can you honestly promise you will get up feeling better, rather than worse?
Understanding Your Nap Motivation
“We can identify three primary motivations for napping for many people,” says an expert circadian rhythm specialist. “Firstly, there's what we call compensatory napping, essentially what happens after experiencing poor sleep the night before. Another is prophylactic napping, when you are anticipating insufficient sleep ahead, such as if you’re working graveyard shifts. Finally, there's “hedonic napping”, which basically comes down to desire: you have a chance to doze in the daytime, and it's pleasant to do it.”
The initial step to do, therefore, is to think about your nap motivation. “Naps can be truly beneficial when night sleeping is being disrupted because of factors outside your control – for example, for a parent of a newborn, or recovering from illness or intense exercise,” says a sleep specialist. “But if you take a nap since your nighttime sleep feels fragile or broken, that is frequently a sign your body's sleep pressure is not as strong as required. In such situations, napping can become a contributing factor, instead of the fix. Utilize daytime sleep for brief periods for short-term problems – the main goal must always be a robust and regular night’s sleep.”
The Ideal Nap Duration
This means that napping ought not to be long enough to affect your nighttime sleep, and preferably shouldn’t take place after about 3pm (depending on the time you retire in the evening). How long is sensible? Recommendations vary. In one of a prominent study about napping, space agency scientists discovered that crew members experienced up to a 54% increase in alertness and a 34% increase in performance post a 26-minute snooze (technically, this counted a six-minute falling asleep phase). “My advice is setting an alarm for half an hour or less – many individuals fall asleep quickly,” says a sleep expert. “There is plenty of guidance out there regarding the ideal number of minutes, however, that can make people feel more stressed than anything – and the least helpful action you can do when trying to get to sleep is to be anxious.”
If you’re going to sleep for longer, avoid the 45-60 minute window that promotes sleep inertia, that disoriented sensation when you awaken. “The science suggests it’s better to have an extended nap of one to one and a half hours rather than a mid-length nap,” notes the professor. “Forty-five minutes is enough time to send you into slow-wave sleep and it is more probable to feel groggy when you wake up – whereas if you extend it a bit longer to a full sleep cycle, it's likely you'll to be completing a full cycle and are likely to awaken feeling more rejuvenated. However, if you’re sleeping for an hour and a half, it can influence how you sleep in the evening.”
Finding the Perfect Sleep Space
When it comes to precise methods, advice differs. Some experts suggest employing comparable habits you’d use to promote a good night’s sleep: a quiet room, a comfortable bed and maximum darkness as you can manage. Alternatively, experts propose that you should just doze on the sofa in the existing light is available – both to discourage sleep inertia and to preserve your sleeping quarters as the environment your brain links with *real* sleep. “Napping is something really tricky to will,” explains an expert. “Lacking the urge to sleep, it is more challenging to get comfortable and practically command yourself to nod off. You need some drive present to bring the sleep on to begin with. I can usually snooze in full light and awaken on my own without an alarm, but what helps most folks is to look for a time where they feel naturally somewhat sleepy and then simply ease into sleep.”
It’s worth experimenting, and if options are scarce – such as, if attempting to fit in 40 winks during a commute or at the office – it's acceptable with bringing a few tools. “Coaching professional sportspeople, I advise that they avoid becoming accustomed to their own bed for naps, because they’re going to have|they will
