Listen to a few self-improvement experts, and it’s simple to think that a nap is a powerful tool: rather than a quick fix after restless night, but a shortcut towards improved recall, improved mood and perhaps improved athletic performance. Elite footballers swear by it – and so are musicians, fighters & business leaders. However, if you haven’t got a room for napping or employment that encourages regular snoozing, is it *truly* worthwhile perks to a short sleep to merit the kerfuffle? Can you find a dependable method to get to sleep quickly enough? Plus, is it possible to really guarantee you’ll wake up feeling refreshed, rather than worse?
Understanding Your Reasons for Napping
“There are three primary motivations for taking a nap in the adult population,” says a leading sleep science professor. “One is what we call compensatory napping, that is what you do when you’ve had poor sleep overnight. Another is pre-emptive sleep, when you are pre-empting sleep loss coming up, such as when working overnight shifts. The third reason is “appetitive drive”, which simply comes down to wanting: you have an opportunity to sleep in the afternoon, and it feels nice to nap.”
The primary task to consider, then, is consider your nap motivation. “Napping can be genuinely useful when night sleeping gets interrupted because of factors outside your control – for example, for a new parent, or if you are healing from illness or heavy physical exertion,” states a sleep physiologist. “Yet when you’re napping because your sleep at night is unstable or poor, that is frequently a sign your sleep drive is not as strong as required. Under those circumstances, napping can become a contributing factor, instead of the fix. Utilize daytime sleep for brief periods for short-term problems – the focus must always be a strong and predictable sleep at night.”
The Ideal Nap Duration
Therefore that napping shouldn’t be long enough to interfere with your overnight rest, and best shouldn’t take place in the late afternoon (based on what time you go to bed in the evening). What's a reasonable length? Advice differs. In one of the most referenced research about napping, experts found that astronauts showed a boost of up to 54% in vigilance and a 34% increase in task performance after a 26-minute nap (in detail, this involved a six-minute nodding-off period). “My advice is setting an alarm for half an hour or less – the majority doze off quickly,” explains a specialist. “You'll find much advice around regarding the optimal amount of time, yet that often cause people to feel more stressed above all – and the most counterproductive thing you can do while aiming to nod off is worry about it.”
Should you decide to sleep for longer, avoid the 45 to 60 minute range that promotes sleep inertia, that foggy state when you awaken. “Studies indicates it is preferable to take a longer nap of 60 to 90 minutes than a medium-length one,” says the expert. “45 minutes is enough time to put you into a deep sleep stage and you’re more likely to feel sluggish when you wake up – however, if you take it a bit longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you’re likely to be completing a full cycle and will probably wake up feeling more refreshed. Though if you're dozing for a long period, it can influence how you sleep that night.”
Creating the Right Sleep Space
When it comes to specific techniques, advice differs. Certain specialists suggest adopting comparable habits one would use to promote restful sleep: a silent space, a comfortable bed and as much darkness as you can manage. Others suggest that you should just doze on a couch with ambient lighting happens to be around – to avoid post-nap grogginess and to “protect” your bedroom as the place you associate with nighttime rest. “Falling asleep is something really tricky to command,” explains an expert. “Lacking the urge to sleep, it becomes harder to recline and essentially command yourself to nod off. There must be some sleep pressure there to bring the sleep on to begin with. For me, it's possible to take a nap in broad daylight and wake up naturally without a timer, but what helps a lot of people is to look for a moment where they feel naturally feeling a bit drowsy and calmly relax into it.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and if you have few options – such as, if you’re trying to fit in a quick nap during a commute or at the office – it is perfectly fine to use some accessories. “When I’m working with professional sportspeople, I recommend that they avoid becoming accustomed to sleeping in their bed, as they’re going to have|they will
