Listen to enough productivity gurus, making it tempting to convince yourself that napping is a secret weapon: rather than a band-aid following poor sleep, but a route towards enhanced cognition, improved mood and perhaps improved athletic performance. Professional footballers swear by it – as do concert pianists, fighters and media moguls. Yet, when you haven’t got a special sleep space or a job that encourages daytime sleep, can there *honestly* enough benefits to a quick nap for it to be worth the effort? Can you find a dependable method to fall asleep fast? Furthermore, can you truly ensure you will get up feeling refreshed, instead of groggy?
Understanding The Reasons for Napping
“There are three key drivers for daytime sleep for many people,” says a leading circadian rhythm researcher. “One is what we call make-up sleep, essentially what happens following poor sleep the night before. The second is prophylactic napping, when you are anticipating insufficient sleep ahead, such as during on night shifts. Finally, there's “pleasure-based sleep”, which essentially is about desire: you get a moment to sleep during the day, and it's enjoyable to nap.”
The initial step to consider, therefore, is to examine your reason for napping. “Naps can be really helpful when nighttime sleep is being disrupted due to causes beyond your control – for example, when you are a parent of a newborn, or recovering from sickness or heavy physical exertion,” explains a sleep physiologist. “But if you’re napping because your night sleep feels fragile or unreliable, that is frequently a signal your body's sleep pressure is not as strong as it should be. In such situations, napping can become part of the issue, rather than the answer. Employ naps as a temporary measure to address immediate needs – the main goal should still be a solid and consistent night’s sleep.”
The Ideal Nap Length
This implies that napping must not be sufficiently lengthy to disrupt your overnight rest, and best should not occur post-3 p.m. (contingent on when you sleep at night). What duration is wise? Recommendations vary. From the most referenced research regarding daytime sleep, researchers at Nasa noted that space travelers had up to a 54% increase in alertness plus a 34% rise in performance after a 26-minute nap (in detail, this counted a six-minute long falling asleep phase). “I’d suggest using an alarm for 20-30 minutes – the majority are asleep quickly,” says a sleep expert. “You'll find much recommendations regarding the ideal number of minutes, but that tends to cause people to feel more stressed than anything – and the most counterproductive thing you can do when trying to fall asleep is to stress over it.”
Should you decide to nap for a longer period, bypass the period between 45 and 60 minutes that encourages that sluggish feeling, that foggy state when you awaken. “The science would say it’s better to opt for an extended nap of one to one and a half hours than a medium-length one,” notes the sleep scientist. “Forty-five minutes is enough time to put you into slow-wave sleep and it is more probable to feel groggy when you wake up – however, if you nap for a bit longer to a full sleep cycle, it's likely you'll to finish of a sleep cycle and are likely to wake up feeling more refreshed. However, if you nap for a long period, it may impact the quality of your sleep in the evening.”
Creating the Perfect Nap Environment
Regarding precise methods, advice differs. A few professionals recommend employing the same protocol you use to encourage quality nighttime sleep: a quiet room, a supportive surface and maximum darkness as possible. Others suggest that you should just doze on the sofa in the existing light happens to be around – to prevent that groggy feeling and to maintain your bed as the environment your brain links with nighttime rest. “Sleep is something really tricky to force,” notes a specialist. “If you don’t have any drowsiness, it becomes harder to lie down and basically command yourself to go to sleep. There’s got to be some drive there to initiate sleep initially. For me, it's possible to snooze in broad daylight and wake up naturally alarm-free, however, what assists most folks is to wait for an instance that they’re naturally feeling a bit drowsy and calmly allow sleep to come.”
Experimentation is key, and should options are scarce – for example, if you’re trying to grab 40 winks during a commute or in a work pod – it's acceptable to use some accessories. “When I’m working with footballers, I recommend that they not rely on napping in bed, as they’re going to have|they will
