Hear enough self-improvement experts, making it simple to convince yourself that napping is a superpower: more than a quick fix following poor sleep, but a path towards enhanced cognition, improved mood and perhaps a faster 5k run time. Professional soccer players do it regularly – along with concert pianists, mixed martial artists & media moguls. But if you don't have a special sleep space or a career that encourages daytime sleep, can there *honestly* enough benefits to a quick nap to justify the kerfuffle? Does there exist a dependable method to nod off promptly? Furthermore, can you truly ensure you will get up feeling improved, not worse?
Exploring Your Nap Motivation
“We can identify three main reasons for napping among most adults,” explains an expert sleep science researcher. “The first is what we call recovery napping, essentially what you do when you’ve had a lack of sleep overnight. Secondly, there's prophylactic napping, where you are preparing for a sleep deficit ahead, for example if you’re working on night shifts. Finally, there's “pleasure-based sleep”, which essentially is about wanting: there is a moment to nap during the day, and it's enjoyable to do it.”
The first thing to consider, therefore, is consider your nap motivation. “Napping can be truly beneficial when overnight rest is being disrupted for reasons outside your control – such as, for a new parent, or recovering from sickness or intense exercise,” states a sleep physiologist. “However, if you’re napping because your sleep at night is unstable or poor, that is frequently an indicator your need for sleep is not at the level required. In those cases, naps can become part of the problem, not the solution. Use napping as a temporary measure for temporary issues – the priority ought to remain a robust and regular night’s sleep.”
The Perfect Nap Length
This implies that daytime sleep shouldn’t be sufficiently lengthy to disrupt your overnight rest, and ideally are not recommended post-3 p.m. (depending on when you retire overnight). What duration is wise? Guidelines are mixed. Among the most referenced research regarding daytime sleep, researchers at Nasa found that astronauts showed up to a 54% increase in alertness and a 34% increase in cognitive performance after a 26-minute nap (in detail, this included a six-minute long nodding-off period). “I’d suggest setting an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – most people are asleep in under ten minutes,” explains a sleep coach. “You'll find much advice around about the ideal number for sleeping, however, that can make people feel more anxious than anything – and the least helpful action one can do when attempting to get to sleep is worry about it.”
If you plan to take an extended nap, avoid the period between 45 and 60 minutes that promotes that sluggish feeling, that spaced-out feeling upon waking. “The science would say it is preferable to take a longer nap lasting 60-90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” notes the expert. “Three-quarters of an hour is enough time to plunge you into deep sleep and you’re more likely to feel sluggish when you wake up – while if you extend it a little longer to a full sleep cycle, you will probably to be on the end a full cycle and are likely to awaken feeling more refreshed. But if you nap for 90 minutes, it will affect how you sleep in the evening.”
Creating the Right Nap Environment
When it comes to precise methods, advice differs. A few professionals recommend using comparable habits you use to foster restful sleep: a peaceful area, a comfortable bed and maximum darkness as possible. Others suggest that it's fine to merely snooze in a chair in the existing light is present – both to discourage post-nap grogginess and to “protect” your bedroom as the environment your brain links with proper sleep. “Falling asleep is quite challenging to command,” notes a sleep coach. “Lacking any sleepiness, it becomes harder to recline and essentially command yourself to fall asleep. There’s got to be some sleep pressure there to initiate sleep to begin with. Personally, I can often snooze in full light and awaken on my own without a timer, but what helps many individuals is to look for a time when they are naturally slightly tired and calmly allow sleep to come.”
Experimentation is key, and when options are scarce – such as, when aiming to squeeze in 40 winks during a commute or at the office – there’s nothing wrong to employ some accessories. “Coaching professional sportspeople, I advise that they avoid becoming accustomed to sleeping in their bed, since they’re going to have|they will
