Hear enough self-improvement podcasters, and you'll be simple to convince yourself that dozing is a powerful tool: not just a band-aid after a bad night’s sleep, but a shortcut towards improved recall, improved mood and possibly a faster 5k run time. Premier League footballers are all at it – and so are professional piano players, fighters and business leaders. Yet, when you lack a special sleep space or a job that permits frequent naps, can there *honestly* worthwhile perks to a quick nap for it to be worth the kerfuffle? Does there exist a reliable way to fall asleep fast? Furthermore, can you really guarantee you will get up feeling improved, instead of groggy?
Exploring The Reasons for Napping
“There are three main reasons for taking a nap among most adults,” explains an expert sleep science specialist. “Firstly, there's known as recovery napping, which is what happens following a lack of sleep overnight. Another is pre-emptive sleep, when you are preparing for sleep loss coming up, such as if you’re working on night shifts. The third is called “appetitive drive”, which simply boils down to desire: you have a moment to sleep during the day, and it feels nice to nap.”
The first thing to consider, then, is to examine why you want to nap. “Daytime sleep can be really helpful when night sleeping gets interrupted for reasons outside your control – for instance, for a new parent, or if you are healing after being ill or strenuous activity,” explains a sleep specialist. “But if you’re napping since your sleep at night feels fragile or poor, that can be a signal your body's sleep pressure is not at the level it should be. In such situations, napping can become part of the problem, rather than the answer. Utilize daytime sleep as a short-term solution to address immediate needs – the focus must always be a solid and consistent night’s sleep.”
The Ideal Nap Length
This means that napping shouldn’t be too extended to interfere with your sleep at night, and preferably shouldn’t take place in the late afternoon (based on the time you retire at night). What duration is wise? Guidelines are mixed. Among the most referenced research about napping, researchers at Nasa discovered that crew members had a boost of up to 54% in vigilance and a 34% boost in performance following a nap of 26 minutes (technically, this included a six-minute long sleep onset time). “I’d suggest using an alarm for half an hour or less – the majority fall asleep in under ten minutes,” explains a sleep expert. “There’s a lot of advice around concerning the optimal amount of time, however, that can cause people to feel more worried than anything – and the worst thing one can do when trying to get to sleep is worry about it.”
If you plan to take an extended nap, bypass the period between 45 and 60 minutes that promotes sleep inertia, that spaced-out feeling when you awaken. “The science suggests it is preferable to opt for a lengthier snooze of 60 to 90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” explains the expert. “45 minutes is long enough to send you into a deep sleep stage making it more likely to feel groggy when you get up – while if you extend it a little longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you’re likely to be on the end a natural sleep cycle and should get up feeling more rejuvenated. But if you nap for a long period, it can influence your sleep in the evening.”
Creating an Ideal Snooze Setting
When it comes to precise methods, suggestions are diverse. Some experts propose using comparable habits one would use to encourage a good night’s sleep: a silent space, a comfortable bed and as much darkness as possible. Others suggest that it's fine to merely snooze on the sofa in the existing light is present – to prevent that groggy feeling and to maintain your bedroom as the place your mind associates with proper sleep. “Sleep is something really tricky to force,” notes a sleep coach. “If you don’t have any drowsiness, it becomes harder to recline and practically command yourself to fall asleep. There’s got to be some drive available to bring the sleep on in the first place. Personally, I can often take a nap during the day and naturally wake up without a timer, though, what aids most folks is to anticipate a time when they are naturally somewhat sleepy and then simply ease into sleep.”
Experimentation is key, and should you have few options – for example, if you’re trying to grab a quick nap on a train or at the office – it is perfectly fine to use some accessories. “When I’m working with footballers, I suggest that they avoid becoming accustomed to napping in bed, since they’re going to have|they will
