Tune into plenty of productivity podcasters, and it’s easy to think that napping is a secret weapon: not just a sticking plaster following a bad night’s sleep, but a route to improved recall, better spirits and maybe improved athletic performance. Professional athletes are all at it – along with concert pianists, mixed martial artists and media moguls. But if you don't have a special sleep space or employment that encourages frequent naps, is it *truly* worthwhile perks to a short sleep to justify the kerfuffle? Can you find a surefire technique to fall asleep fast? Plus, is it possible to really guarantee you’ll wake up feeling improved, instead of groggy?
Identifying The Drive to Snooze
“Experts note three main reasons for taking a nap for many people,” explains a professor of sleep and circadian science specialist. “The first is what we call recovery napping, essentially what you do after experiencing a lack of sleep the previous night. The second is preparatory napping, when you are preparing for sleep loss ahead, for instance when working overnight shifts. The third reason is “appetitive drive”, which essentially boils down to wanting: there is a chance to nap during the day, and it's pleasant to nap.”
The first thing to undertake, therefore, is consider your nap motivation. “Napping can be genuinely useful when nighttime sleep gets interrupted for reasons you cannot change – for instance, when you are caring for an infant, or if you are healing after being ill or heavy physical exertion,” states a sleep specialist. “But if you’re napping as your nighttime sleep is unstable or broken, that’s often a signal your sleep drive is not at the level it needs to be. Under those circumstances, daytime sleep can turn into part of the problem, not the solution. Use napping as a temporary measure for short-term problems – the main goal must always be a strong and predictable sleep at night.”
The Ideal Nap Length
This implies that daytime sleep ought not to be too extended to affect your nighttime sleep, and ideally are not recommended in the late afternoon (based on when you retire overnight). How long is sensible? Advice differs. Among a prominent study about napping, researchers at Nasa discovered that crew members had a boost of up to 54% in alertness plus a 34% rise in cognitive performance following a nap of 26 minutes (in detail, this included an initial six-minute sleep onset time). “I’d suggest setting an alarm for 20-30 minutes – the majority fall asleep in under ten minutes,” explains a sleep coach. “You'll find much advice around concerning the perfect length of minutes, but that tends to lead individuals to become more anxious above all – and the least helpful action you can possibly do when attempting to get to sleep is to stress over it.”
If you’re going to take an extended nap, steer clear of the 45-60 minute window that encourages sleep grogginess, that disoriented sensation upon waking. “Research suggests it's more effective to have a longer nap of one to one and a half hours than a medium-length one,” says the professor. “45 minutes is enough time to put you into a deep sleep stage and you’re more likely to feel groggy when you wake up – whereas if you take it slightly longer to a full sleep cycle, you will probably to finish a full cycle and are likely to get up feeling more alert. But if you’re sleeping for a long period, it can influence how you sleep later that night.”
Establishing the Right Nap Environment
Regarding exact methodologies, advice differs. Certain specialists suggest adopting comparable habits one would use to encourage a good night’s sleep: a quiet room, a comfortable bed and maximum darkness as is feasible. Some advise that it's fine to just doze in a chair in the existing light happens to be around – to avoid post-nap grogginess and to “protect” your sleeping quarters as the space your brain links with *real* sleep. “Napping is quite challenging to command,” explains a specialist. “Without any sleepiness, it is tougher to recline and practically command yourself to nod off. There must be some drive present to initiate sleep in the first place. I can usually take a nap during the day and naturally wake up without an alarm, but what helps a lot of people is to wait for a moment when they are naturally somewhat sleepy and just gently allow sleep to come.”
It’s worth experimenting, and when your choices are limited – for example, if you’re trying to fit in 40 winks on a train or in a work pod – it is perfectly fine to employ some accessories. “In my work with footballers, I recommend that they don’t get used to sleeping in their bed, as they’re going to have|they will
