Listen to enough self-improvement experts, and it’s simple to believe that napping is a superpower: more than a band-aid following restless night, but a shortcut towards improved recall, a brighter outlook and possibly improved athletic performance. Elite footballers are all at it – as do professional piano players, fighters & high-profile executives. But if you don't have a dedicated nap-room or a job that allows daytime sleep, is it *truly* worthwhile perks to a quick nap to merit the kerfuffle? Can you find a dependable method to get to sleep quickly enough? Furthermore, can you really guarantee you will arise feeling refreshed, not worse?
Exploring Your Reasons for Napping
“There are three primary motivations for taking a nap in the adult population,” notes a leading sleep and circadian science professor. “The first is known as make-up sleep, essentially the action you take when you’ve had a lack of sleep overnight. Another is preparatory napping, when you are preparing for insufficient sleep coming up, for instance if you’re working on night shifts. The third reason is “hedonic napping”, which essentially comes down to desire: there is a moment to nap during the day, and it feels nice to nap.”
The primary task to undertake, so, is to think about your nap motivation. “Daytime sleep can be genuinely useful when night sleeping is disturbed for reasons you cannot change – for example, when you are a parent of a newborn, or recovering from illness or strenuous activity,” says a sleep specialist. “But if you take a nap because your night sleep feels fragile or broken, that can be a sign your need for sleep is not at the level it should be. In such situations, naps can become a contributing factor, not the solution. Employ naps for brief periods for short-term problems – the main goal must always be a solid and consistent sleep at night.”
The Perfect Nap Length
Therefore that napping ought not to be long enough to interfere with your overnight rest, and best shouldn’t take place in the late afternoon (contingent on the time you retire at night). What duration is wise? Recommendations vary. Among the most referenced research on the subject, space agency scientists found that astronauts showed a boost of up to 54% in attentiveness and a 34% boost in task performance after a 26-minute nap (technically, this counted a six-minute long nodding-off period). “I recommend setting a timer for half an hour or less – most people fall asleep in under ten minutes,” says a specialist. “You'll find much guidance out there concerning the perfect length of minutes, but that tends to cause people to feel more stressed than anything else – and the worst thing one can do when trying to fall asleep is to stress over it.”
If you’re going to take an extended nap, bypass the 45 to 60 minute range that induces sleep grogginess, that foggy state when you wake. “Studies suggests it is preferable to take a longer nap lasting 60-90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” explains the expert. “Three-quarters of an hour is long enough to plunge you into deep sleep and you’re more likely to feel disoriented when you wake up – while if you take it a little longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you will probably to finish of a sleep cycle and will probably get up feeling more alert. However, if you nap for 90 minutes, it may impact the quality of your sleep in the evening.”
Finding an Ideal Snooze Setting
Regarding exact methodologies, recommendations vary. Certain specialists suggest adopting similar routines one would use to foster a good night’s sleep: a quiet room, a supportive surface and minimal light as you can manage. Others suggest that it's fine to simply nap on a couch with ambient lighting is available – to prevent post-nap grogginess and to maintain your bed as the space you associate with *real* sleep. “Falling asleep is notoriously difficult to force,” says a sleep coach. “Lacking any sleepiness, it becomes harder to lie down and essentially instruct yourself to fall asleep. There must be a natural inclination available to initiate sleep initially. Personally, I can often take a nap during the day and wake up naturally without an alarm, however, what assists a lot of people is to anticipate a time when they are naturally slightly tired and calmly relax into it.”
Experimentation is key, and when options are scarce – such as, if attempting to fit in some shut-eye during a commute or in a work pod – it's acceptable with bringing a few tools. “In my work with elite athletes, I suggest that they avoid becoming accustomed to their own bed for naps, as they’re going to have|they will
