Listen to enough self-improvement experts, making it easy to think that a nap is a secret weapon: rather than a quick fix after a bad night’s sleep, but a route towards a better memory, better spirits and perhaps improved athletic performance. Premier League footballers are all at it – and so are concert pianists, fighters & media moguls. But if you haven’t got a special sleep space or employment that permits daytime sleep, are there *really* enough benefits to a short sleep for it to be worth the hassle? Does there exist a reliable way to get to sleep quickly enough? And can you honestly promise you will arise feeling improved, instead of groggy?
Understanding The Reasons for Napping
“There are three key drivers for daytime sleep among most adults,” notes a leading sleep and circadian science specialist. “Firstly, there's known as compensatory napping, which is what happens following poor sleep overnight. Secondly, there's preparatory napping, when you are preparing for sleep loss in the future, such as during on night shifts. The third reason is “appetitive drive”, which simply is about wanting: you have an opportunity to doze during the day, and it's enjoyable to indulge.”
The primary task to do, then, is to examine your nap motivation. “Naps can be truly beneficial when night sleeping is being disrupted for reasons you cannot change – for instance, for a parent of a newborn, or if you are healing from illness or intense exercise,” explains a sleep expert. “But if you’re napping as your nighttime sleep is unstable or unreliable, that is frequently a signal your body's sleep pressure is not at the level it needs to be. In those cases, napping can become part of the issue, not the solution. Employ naps for brief periods to address immediate needs – the focus must always be a strong and predictable night’s sleep.”
The Perfect Snooze Time
This means that daytime sleep must not be long enough to interfere with your overnight rest, and ideally should not occur post-3 p.m. (depending on when you go to bed at night). What's a reasonable length? Recommendations vary. From the most referenced research on the subject, space agency scientists noted that astronauts experienced a boost of up to 54% in alertness and a 34% increase in cognitive performance after a 26-minute nap (technically, this involved a six-minute sleep onset time). “I’d suggest using an alarm for half an hour or less – most people fall asleep in under ten minutes,” says a sleep expert. “You'll find much guidance out there concerning the optimal amount for sleeping, however, that can make people feel more anxious than anything – and the most counterproductive thing one can do when attempting to get to sleep is to be anxious.”
If you plan to sleep for longer, avoid the 45 to 60 minute range that encourages sleep inertia, that disoriented sensation when you awaken. “Studies would say it's more effective to take a longer nap lasting 60-90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” explains the expert. “Three-quarters of an hour is enough time to send you into slow-wave sleep making it more likely to feel disoriented when you get up – while if you extend it a little longer to 60 or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to be on the end a full cycle and should get up feeling more alert. Though if you’re sleeping for an hour and a half, it will affect your sleep later that night.”
Establishing an Ideal Nap Environment
When it comes to exact methodologies, advice differs. Some experts propose using comparable habits you use to foster quality nighttime sleep: a quiet room, a supportive surface and as much darkness as is feasible. Others suggest that you should merely snooze on a couch in the existing light is present – to prevent that groggy feeling and to “protect” your bed as the space your brain links with nighttime rest. “Napping is notoriously difficult to force,” notes an expert. “If you don’t have any sleepiness, it is more challenging to get comfortable and essentially command yourself to go to sleep. You need some sleep pressure available to start the process to begin with. For me, it's possible to take a nap in broad daylight and naturally wake up alarm-free, but what helps many individuals is to anticipate a moment that they’re naturally slightly tired and just gently allow sleep to come.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and should you have few options – for example, if attempting to squeeze in some shut-eye during a commute or at the office – it is perfectly fine with bringing some accessories. “Coaching footballers, I suggest that they don’t get used to napping in bed, as they’re going to have|they will
