Hear a few productivity podcasters, and you'll be simple to convince yourself that dozing is a superpower: more than a quick fix following a bad night’s sleep, but a route to a better memory, better spirits and possibly a faster 5k run time. Premier League athletes are all at it – as do professional piano players, fighters and business leaders. However, if you lack a room for napping or employment that allows frequent naps, is it *truly* worthwhile perks to a quick nap for it to be worth the hassle? Can you find a reliable way to nod off promptly? And can you really guarantee you will arise feeling improved, rather than worse?
Exploring The Reasons for Napping
“There are three main reasons for taking a nap among most adults,” explains an expert sleep and circadian science researcher. “The first is known as make-up sleep, that is what happens when you’ve had poor sleep the previous night. Secondly, there's prophylactic napping, when you are pre-empting insufficient sleep ahead, for example when working overnight shifts. The third reason is “pleasure-based sleep”, which essentially comes down to desire: there is an opportunity to sleep in the daytime, and it's pleasant to nap.”
The first thing to consider, then, is consider your nap motivation. “Napping can be truly beneficial when overnight rest is disturbed because of factors outside your control – such as, for caring for an infant, or you’re recovering from sickness or intense exercise,” states a sleep physiologist. “Yet when you nap since your nighttime sleep is unstable or broken, that is frequently an indicator your need for sleep is not at the level required. Under those circumstances, napping can become a contributing factor, rather than the answer. Utilize daytime sleep as a short-term solution for temporary issues – the focus ought to remain a robust and regular night’s sleep.”
The Optimal Nap Duration
This implies that daytime sleep shouldn’t be sufficiently lengthy to affect your nighttime sleep, and ideally should not occur after about 3pm (contingent on what time you sleep overnight). What's a reasonable length? Recommendations vary. From a prominent study on the subject, space agency scientists found that space travelers had up to a 54% increase in attentiveness and a 34% boost in cognitive performance following a nap of 26 minutes (to be precise, this involved a six-minute sleep onset time). “I’d suggest setting a timer for 20-30 minutes – most people fall asleep within 10 minutes,” notes a sleep expert. “There’s a lot of guidance out there concerning the perfect length for sleeping, yet that often lead individuals to become more worried above all – and the least helpful action you can do while aiming to fall asleep is to be anxious.”
If you’re going to nap for a longer period, bypass the period between 45 and 60 minutes that induces sleep inertia, that spaced-out feeling upon waking. “The science would say it is preferable to take a longer nap of one to one and a half hours compared to a medium-length nap,” explains the sleep scientist. “Forty-five minutes is sufficient to plunge you into deep sleep making it more likely to feel groggy when you get up – however, if you extend it a little longer to an hour or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to be completing of a sleep cycle and should get up feeling more refreshed. However, if you nap for a long period, it will affect your sleep later that night.”
Establishing the Right Snooze Setting
When it comes to exact methodologies, advice differs. Some experts suggest employing similar routines one would use to promote restful sleep: a silent space, a comfortable bed and as much darkness as you can manage. Alternatively, experts propose that you should just doze on a couch with ambient lighting is present – to avoid post-nap grogginess and to maintain your bedroom as the place your brain links with proper sleep. “Falling asleep is notoriously difficult to force,” says a specialist. “Without the urge to sleep, it becomes harder to recline and practically command yourself to go to sleep. There’s got to be a natural inclination available to start the process initially. I can usually snooze in full light and naturally wake up without a timer, though, what aids most folks is to anticipate an instance that they’re naturally feeling a bit drowsy and just gently allow sleep to come.”
Experimentation is key, and if options are scarce – for instance, when aiming to grab a quick nap on a train or at the office – it is perfectly fine with bringing a few tools. “Coaching footballers, I recommend that they avoid becoming accustomed to sleeping in their bed, as they’re going to have|they will
