Hear enough productivity experts, and it’s simple to believe that a nap is a superpower: rather than a band-aid after a bad night’s sleep, but a path to enhanced cognition, a brighter outlook and perhaps quicker running times. Elite soccer players are all at it – as do musicians, mixed martial artists & business leaders. Yet, when you lack a room for napping or a career that allows regular snoozing, are there *really* worthwhile perks to a quick nap to justify the hassle? Does there exist a surefire technique to nod off promptly? Furthermore, can you really guarantee you’ll wake up feeling better, rather than worse?
Exploring The Reasons for Napping
“We can identify three primary motivations for daytime sleep among most adults,” says an expert sleep science specialist. “The first is what we call make-up sleep, essentially the action you take when you’ve had a lack of sleep overnight. The second is prophylactic napping, where you are anticipating sleep loss coming up, such as during on night shifts. Finally, there's “appetitive drive”, which simply boils down to desire: there is a moment to nap in the afternoon, and it feels nice to nap.”
The first thing to do, then, is consider your nap motivation. “Daytime sleep can be really helpful when nighttime sleep gets interrupted because of factors beyond your control – for example, if you’re a parent of a newborn, or you’re recovering after being ill or heavy physical exertion,” states a sleep specialist. “Yet when you take a nap because your sleep at night seems unreliable or unreliable, that is frequently a signal your sleep drive is not as strong as it needs to be. In such situations, naps can become part of the issue, instead of the fix. Utilize daytime sleep for brief periods for temporary issues – the priority should still be a robust and regular sleep at night.”
The Optimal Snooze Time
Therefore that napping shouldn’t be long enough to affect your nighttime sleep, and ideally shouldn’t take place after about 3pm (based on what time you sleep at night). What's a reasonable length? Recommendations vary. From the most-cited studies on the subject, researchers at Nasa discovered that crew members experienced improvements of over 50% in vigilance and a 34% boost in task performance after a 26-minute nap (in detail, this included an initial six-minute sleep onset time). “I’d suggest setting a timer for half an hour or less – most people are asleep quickly,” says a sleep coach. “There’s a lot of recommendations about the optimal amount of minutes, however, that can make people feel more stressed than anything else – and the least helpful action you can do when attempting to fall asleep is to be anxious.”
If you’re going to nap for a longer period, steer clear of the 45 to 60 minute range that encourages sleep grogginess, that disoriented sensation when you wake. “Research would say it's more effective to have a longer nap of one to one and a half hours than a medium-length one,” notes the sleep scientist. “45 minutes is enough time to put you into slow-wave sleep making it more likely to feel groggy upon awakening – however, if you nap for slightly longer to a full sleep cycle, you will probably to finish of a sleep cycle and will probably get up feeling more rejuvenated. But if you’re sleeping for an hour and a half, it can influence how you sleep later that night.”
Finding an Ideal Snooze Setting
Regarding precise methods, advice differs. Some experts suggest using comparable habits one would use to encourage a good night’s sleep: a peaceful area, a supportive surface and as much darkness as is feasible. Some advise that you should simply nap on the sofa in whatever light is available – to avoid post-nap grogginess and to preserve your sleeping quarters as the environment you associate with proper sleep. “Napping is something really tricky to will,” says an expert. “Lacking any drowsiness, it is more challenging to recline and basically tell yourself to go to sleep. There must be a natural inclination available to bring the sleep on initially. I can usually nap in broad daylight and awaken on my own alarm-free, though, what aids a lot of people is to anticipate a time that they’re naturally somewhat sleepy and calmly relax into it.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and should your choices are limited – such as, if attempting to grab some shut-eye on a train or in a soundproof office pod – it's acceptable to employ some accessories. “Coaching professional sportspeople, I suggest that they don’t get used to their own bed for naps, because they’re going to have|they will
