Listen to plenty of performance gurus, and you'll be easy to believe that napping is a superpower: rather than a sticking plaster after a bad night’s sleep, but a shortcut towards a better memory, a brighter outlook and perhaps a faster 5k run time. Elite soccer players are all at it – as do concert pianists, UFC champions & media moguls. However, if you don't have a special sleep space or a career that permits daytime sleep, can there *honestly* sufficient advantages to a burst of shut-eye to justify the kerfuffle? Does there exist a reliable way to get to sleep quickly enough? Plus, is it possible to honestly promise you will get up feeling better, not worse?
Understanding Your Nap Motivation
“There are three main reasons for daytime sleep in the adult population,” explains a professor of sleep and circadian science researcher. “One is termed recovery napping, which is the action you take after experiencing insufficient sleep overnight. The second is prophylactic napping, when you are pre-empting insufficient sleep ahead, such as during on night shifts. Finally, there's “pleasure-based sleep”, which essentially boils down to the wish: you have a chance to sleep in the afternoon, and it feels nice to do it.”
The initial step to undertake, so, is to examine your nap motivation. “Naps can be really helpful when nighttime sleep is disturbed for reasons you cannot change – such as, for a parent of a newborn, or recovering from illness or intense exercise,” states a sleep specialist. “Yet when you nap since your nighttime sleep is unstable or poor, that is frequently a signal your need for sleep is not where it should be. Under those circumstances, naps can become part of the issue, instead of the fix. Employ naps as a short-term solution to address immediate needs – the focus ought to remain a strong and predictable night’s sleep.”
The Ideal Nap Length
This implies that daytime sleep ought not to be too extended to interfere with your sleep at night, and ideally are not recommended after about 3pm (depending on when you go to bed in the evening). What duration is wise? Recommendations vary. In one of a prominent study on the subject, researchers at Nasa discovered that space travelers experienced improvements of over 50% in vigilance and a 34% boost in task performance following a nap of 26 minutes (in detail, this included an initial six-minute falling asleep phase). “I recommend setting a timer for 20-30 minutes – the majority doze off in under ten minutes,” notes a sleep expert. “You'll find much advice around regarding the optimal amount for sleeping, yet that often lead individuals to become more worried than anything else – and the most counterproductive thing you can possibly do when attempting to get to sleep is to stress over it.”
If you plan to take an extended nap, bypass the period between 45 and 60 minutes that encourages sleep grogginess, that disoriented sensation when you wake. “Studies indicates it's more effective to opt for a lengthier snooze of 60 to 90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” explains the sleep scientist. “Three-quarters of an hour is enough time to send you into a deep sleep stage and it is more probable to feel groggy when you wake up – however, if you extend it slightly longer to 60 or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to be on the end of a sleep cycle and are likely to wake up feeling more rejuvenated. Though if you nap for 90 minutes, it will affect how you sleep that night.”
Finding the Right Nap Environment
Regarding precise methods, suggestions are diverse. Some experts recommend using comparable habits one would use to foster quality nighttime sleep: a peaceful area, a cozy bed and as much darkness as you can manage. Others suggest that it's fine to simply nap on the sofa with ambient lighting happens to be around – both to discourage sleep inertia and to preserve your bed as the place your brain links with nighttime rest. “Falling asleep is notoriously difficult to will,” notes a sleep coach. “Lacking the urge to sleep, it is tougher to recline and basically tell yourself to fall asleep. There’s got to be some drive present to bring the sleep on in the first place. Personally, I can often nap during the day and naturally wake up without an alarm, but what helps most folks is to anticipate a time where they feel naturally slightly tired and just gently ease into sleep.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and should your choices are limited – for instance, when aiming to fit in some shut-eye during a commute or at the office – it's acceptable with bringing a few tools. “In my work with elite athletes, I recommend that they not rely on napping in bed, because they’re going to have|they will
