Listen to a few productivity podcasters, and you'll be tempting to believe that napping is a powerful tool: not just a quick fix following poor sleep, but a shortcut to a better memory, a brighter outlook and perhaps a faster 5k run time. Premier League soccer players do it regularly – as do musicians, mixed martial artists & business leaders. But if you haven’t got a dedicated nap-room or a career that allows daytime sleep, can there *honestly* enough benefits to a short sleep for it to be worth the hassle? Can you find a surefire technique to fall asleep fast? Plus, is it possible to really guarantee you’ll wake up feeling improved, not worse?
Understanding The Drive to Snooze
“We can identify three key drivers for daytime sleep in the adult population,” says an expert sleep and circadian science specialist. “One is what we call make-up sleep, which is what happens after experiencing poor sleep the previous night. Another is prophylactic napping, where you are anticipating a sleep deficit coming up, such as during graveyard shifts. The third reason is “hedonic napping”, which essentially is about desire: you get a chance to nap during the day, and it feels nice to nap.”
The primary task to do, so, is consider why you want to nap. “Naps can be truly beneficial when nighttime sleep gets interrupted due to causes you cannot change – such as, for a parent of a newborn, or you’re recovering from illness or intense exercise,” says a sleep specialist. “Yet when you take a nap because your nighttime sleep is unstable or broken, that’s often a signal your need for sleep is not as strong as it should be. In such situations, daytime sleep can turn into part of the issue, instead of the fix. Utilize daytime sleep as a temporary measure to address immediate needs – the priority ought to remain a robust and regular sleep at night.”
The Perfect Nap Length
This implies that napping shouldn’t be sufficiently lengthy to affect your nighttime sleep, and preferably are not recommended after about 3pm (depending on the time you retire at night). What duration is wise? Advice differs. From a prominent study regarding daytime sleep, researchers at Nasa noted that astronauts showed a boost of up to 54% in vigilance and a 34% increase in cognitive performance after a 26-minute nap (in detail, this included an initial six-minute falling asleep phase). “I recommend setting a timer for half an hour or less – many individuals are asleep quickly,” says a sleep coach. “There is plenty of guidance out there about the perfect length for sleeping, but that tends to lead individuals to become more worried than anything – and the least helpful action you can possibly do when trying to nod off is worry about it.”
If you plan to sleep for longer, steer clear of the 45-60 minute window that promotes that sluggish feeling, that disoriented sensation when you awaken. “The science indicates it is preferable to opt for an extended nap lasting 60-90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” says the expert. “Forty-five minutes is enough time to plunge you into slow-wave sleep and you’re more likely to feel groggy when you get up – while if you take it a little longer to 60 or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to be on the end a full cycle and should wake up feeling more refreshed. However, if you nap for an hour and a half, it may impact your sleep in the evening.”
Establishing the Perfect Sleep Space
As for specific techniques, recommendations vary. A few professionals suggest employing comparable habits one would use to promote a good night’s sleep: a peaceful area, a comfortable bed and maximum darkness as you can manage. Alternatively, experts propose that it's fine to simply nap on a couch in the existing light happens to be around – to avoid that groggy feeling and to maintain your bed as the place your brain links with *real* sleep. “Napping is quite challenging to force,” notes a specialist. “Lacking any sleepiness, it is tougher to recline and practically command yourself to fall asleep. There must be some drive there to bring the sleep on to begin with. I can usually snooze in broad daylight and naturally wake up without an alarm, but what helps most folks is to anticipate a time when they are naturally slightly tired and just gently allow sleep to come.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and if options are scarce – such as, when aiming to grab some shut-eye on a train or at the office – it's acceptable to employ some accessories. “Coaching footballers, I suggest that they don’t get used to napping in bed, as they’re going to have|they will
