Hear a few productivity experts, making it simple to think that a nap is a superpower: not just a quick fix following a bad night’s sleep, but a shortcut towards a better memory, a brighter outlook and possibly improved athletic performance. Professional footballers swear by it – as do musicians, UFC champions & media moguls. But if you haven’t got a room for napping or a job that allows regular snoozing, can there *honestly* worthwhile perks to a quick nap to justify the effort? Can you find a dependable method to get to sleep quickly enough? And can you really guarantee you will arise feeling better, instead of groggy?
Exploring The Reasons for Napping
“There are three main reasons for daytime sleep among most adults,” notes an expert sleep and circadian science specialist. “One is termed make-up sleep, that is what you do following poor sleep overnight. Another is prophylactic napping, when you are anticipating a sleep deficit coming up, for example when working on night shifts. The third is called “hedonic napping”, which basically comes down to the wish: there is a chance to sleep in the daytime, and it feels nice to indulge.”
The initial step to do, then, is consider your nap motivation. “Naps can be really helpful when overnight rest is being disrupted due to causes you cannot change – such as, when you are a new parent, or recovering after being ill or intense exercise,” says a sleep specialist. “But if you take a nap because your sleep at night is unstable or poor, that’s often an indicator your need for sleep is not as strong as it needs to be. In those cases, daytime sleep can turn into part of the problem, not the solution. Use napping for brief periods for short-term problems – the main goal must always be a robust and regular sleep at night.”
The Perfect Snooze Time
Therefore that naps shouldn’t be sufficiently lengthy to interfere with your overnight rest, and ideally should not occur post-3 p.m. (based on what time you go to bed at night). What duration is wise? Advice differs. In one of the most-cited studies on the subject, researchers at Nasa noted that astronauts experienced improvements of over 50% in attentiveness and a 34% increase in cognitive performance post a 26-minute snooze (to be precise, this involved an initial six-minute nodding-off period). “I recommend setting an alarm for half an hour or less – the majority are asleep quickly,” notes a sleep coach. “There is plenty of recommendations concerning the ideal number of time, but that tends to cause people to feel more anxious above all – and the worst thing one can do while aiming to fall asleep is to stress over it.”
Should you decide to take an extended nap, avoid the period between 45 and 60 minutes that promotes sleep grogginess, that spaced-out feeling when you awaken. “Research suggests it's more effective to take a lengthier snooze of 60 to 90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” says the expert. “Three-quarters of an hour is enough time to put you into a deep sleep stage and you’re more likely to feel disoriented when you wake up – however, if you extend it a little longer to a full sleep cycle, it's likely you'll to finish a full cycle and are likely to wake up feeling more refreshed. But if you nap for an hour and a half, it can influence your sleep in the evening.”
Creating the Right Nap Environment
When it comes to precise methods, suggestions are diverse. A few professionals propose using the same protocol one would use to foster quality nighttime sleep: a peaceful area, a comfortable bed and maximum darkness as possible. Some advise that one could merely snooze in a chair in whatever light is present – to avoid post-nap grogginess and to “protect” your bed as the place your brain links with proper sleep. “Napping is notoriously difficult to force,” explains a sleep coach. “Without any drowsiness, it is tougher to lie down and practically tell yourself to fall asleep. There’s got to be some sleep pressure present to start the process in the first place. For me, it's possible to nap in full light and naturally wake up alarm-free, however, what assists most folks is to look for a moment when they are naturally slightly tired and calmly relax into it.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and when you have few options – for instance, when aiming to fit in 40 winks while traveling or in a work pod – it's acceptable to employ some accessories. “When I’m working with footballers, I suggest that they avoid becoming accustomed to sleeping in their bed, as they’re going to have|they will
