Hear enough productivity gurus, and it’s tempting to think that a nap is a powerful tool: not just a quick fix after a bad night’s sleep, but a path towards improved recall, a brighter outlook and maybe quicker running times. Professional footballers swear by it – and so are professional piano players, fighters & media moguls. However, if you lack a dedicated nap-room or a career that allows daytime sleep, is it *truly* sufficient advantages to a short sleep to merit the hassle? Is there a reliable way to fall asleep fast? Furthermore, can you truly ensure you will get up feeling refreshed, rather than worse?
Identifying Your Nap Motivation
“There are three primary motivations for daytime sleep in the adult population,” says a professor of sleep and circadian science specialist. “Firstly, there's known as compensatory napping, which is what you do following a lack of sleep overnight. The second is preparatory napping, when you are preparing for a sleep deficit in the future, for example during on night shifts. The third reason is “appetitive drive”, which simply comes down to wanting: there is a chance to sleep in the daytime, and it's pleasant to indulge.”
The primary task to do, therefore, is to examine your reason for napping. “Daytime sleep can be really helpful when nighttime sleep is being disrupted due to causes you cannot change – for instance, when you are a new parent, or recovering from illness or heavy physical exertion,” says a sleep physiologist. “However, if you’re napping since your nighttime sleep is unstable or unreliable, that is frequently a signal your need for sleep is not as strong as required. In such situations, daytime sleep can turn into part of the issue, instead of the fix. Utilize daytime sleep for brief periods to address immediate needs – the main goal should still be a robust and regular overnight rest.”
The Optimal Nap Duration
This implies that napping ought not to be sufficiently lengthy to interfere with your sleep at night, and ideally should not occur in the late afternoon (depending on when you retire overnight). What's a reasonable length? Recommendations vary. From the most referenced research on the subject, space agency scientists noted that crew members experienced up to a 54% increase in vigilance and a 34% increase in task performance after a 26-minute nap (in detail, this counted a six-minute long falling asleep phase). “I recommend setting an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – the majority are asleep within 10 minutes,” notes a specialist. “You'll find much recommendations regarding the perfect length of minutes, yet that often lead individuals to become more worried than anything – and the worst thing you can do when attempting to nod off is to stress over it.”
If you plan to nap for a longer period, bypass the period between 45 and 60 minutes that induces sleep inertia, that disoriented sensation when you wake. “Studies would say it’s better to opt for an extended nap of one to one and a half hours rather than a mid-length nap,” says the professor. “Three-quarters of an hour is sufficient to put you into deep sleep and it is more probable to feel sluggish when you wake up – while if you nap for a bit longer to a full sleep cycle, you’re likely to be completing a full cycle and should get up feeling more alert. However, if you nap for 90 minutes, it may impact the quality of your sleep in the evening.”
Establishing an Ideal Nap Environment
As for exact methodologies, suggestions are diverse. A few professionals recommend using comparable habits you’d use to encourage restful sleep: a peaceful area, a cozy bed and maximum darkness as possible. Alternatively, experts propose that one could just doze on the sofa in whatever light is present – to prevent that groggy feeling and to maintain your sleeping quarters as the space you associate with proper sleep. “Napping is something really tricky to force,” explains a specialist. “Lacking any sleepiness, it is more challenging to lie down and practically instruct yourself to nod off. You need some sleep pressure present to bring the sleep on initially. I can usually take a nap during the day and awaken on my own without a timer, however, what assists most folks is to anticipate a time that they’re naturally slightly tired and calmly ease into sleep.”
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 in a work pod – it's acceptable to employ sleep aids. “Coaching footballers, I suggest that they don’t get used to their own bed for naps, as they’re going to have|they will
