Tune into enough performance gurus, and you'll be simple to believe that a nap is a superpower: not just a quick fix following poor sleep, but a route towards improved recall, improved mood and maybe a faster 5k run time. Premier League footballers do it regularly – and so are concert pianists, mixed martial artists and high-profile executives. Yet, when you don't have a room for napping or employment that allows regular snoozing, can there *honestly* worthwhile perks to a quick nap to merit the kerfuffle? Can you find a dependable method to get to sleep quickly enough? Furthermore, can you truly ensure you will arise feeling better, not worse?
Exploring Your Reasons for Napping
“Experts note three main reasons for daytime sleep for many people,” says a leading sleep science specialist. “The first is termed make-up sleep, essentially what you do after experiencing poor sleep the night before. Another is prophylactic napping, when you are anticipating sleep loss coming up, for example if you’re working on night shifts. The third is called “pleasure-based sleep”, which simply boils down to wanting: there is a moment to doze in the afternoon, and it's enjoyable to do it.”
The initial step to consider, so, is to examine your reason for napping. “Naps can be genuinely useful when overnight rest is disturbed for reasons beyond your control – for example, if you’re a parent of a newborn, or if you are healing from illness or intense exercise,” explains a sleep specialist. “But if you take a nap as your sleep at night seems unreliable or poor, that can be a sign your body's sleep pressure is not where it should be. Under those circumstances, napping can become a contributing factor, instead of the fix. Use napping as a short-term solution for temporary issues – the priority ought to remain a strong and predictable overnight rest.”
The Ideal Nap Length
Therefore that naps ought not to be too extended to interfere with your overnight rest, and best shouldn’t take place after about 3pm (depending on what time you go to bed overnight). How long is sensible? Guidelines are mixed. In one of a prominent study on the subject, space agency scientists found that astronauts showed improvements of over 50% in vigilance and a 34% boost in performance after a 26-minute nap (technically, this involved a six-minute long nodding-off period). “I’d suggest setting a timer for 20-30 minutes – the majority are asleep quickly,” says a sleep expert. “You'll find much guidance out there regarding the ideal number of minutes, yet that often make people feel more worried than anything else – and the most counterproductive thing you can possibly do when attempting to get to sleep is to be anxious.”
If you’re going to take an extended nap, bypass the 45 to 60 minute range that encourages sleep grogginess, that disoriented sensation when you awaken. “Research would say it is preferable to have a longer nap of one to one and a half hours rather than a mid-length nap,” explains the sleep scientist. “Three-quarters of an hour is sufficient to send you into a deep sleep stage and you’re more likely to feel groggy when you get up – while if you nap for a bit longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you will probably to finish a natural sleep cycle and are likely to get up feeling more refreshed. Though if you’re sleeping for a long period, it will affect the quality of your sleep in the evening.”
Creating the Perfect Snooze Setting
Regarding precise methods, suggestions are diverse. Some experts recommend employing the same protocol you use to encourage restful sleep: a quiet room, a supportive surface and minimal light as is feasible. Others suggest that it's fine to merely snooze on a couch with ambient lighting happens to be around – both to discourage sleep inertia and to preserve your bed as the environment your mind associates with *real* sleep. “Sleep is notoriously difficult to command,” says an expert. “Without any drowsiness, it becomes harder to lie down and essentially command yourself to nod off. You need some drive present to start the process in the first place. For me, it's possible to snooze in full light and awaken on my own alarm-free, though, what aids a lot of people is to wait for an instance when they are naturally feeling a bit drowsy and just gently relax into it.”
Experimentation is key, and should your choices are limited – for example, if attempting to squeeze in a quick nap while traveling or in a work pod – there’s nothing wrong with bringing a few tools. “Coaching elite athletes, I advise that they don’t get used to napping in bed, since they’re going to have|they will
