Hear enough self-improvement podcasters, and it’s simple to believe that napping is a powerful tool: not just a sticking plaster after a bad night’s sleep, but a shortcut to enhanced cognition, a brighter outlook and maybe a faster 5k run time. Professional footballers swear by it – as do professional piano players, UFC champions and media moguls. However, if you don't have a special sleep space or a job that encourages daytime sleep, is it *truly* enough benefits to a short sleep to merit the hassle? Is there a reliable way to get to sleep quickly enough? Plus, is it possible to truly ensure you will arise feeling refreshed, instead of groggy?
Exploring The Nap Motivation
“Experts note three key drivers for taking a nap in the adult population,” explains a professor of sleep and circadian science researcher. “One is termed make-up sleep, which is the action you take after experiencing poor sleep the previous night. The second is prophylactic napping, where you are pre-empting a sleep deficit ahead, for example when working on night shifts. The third reason is “pleasure-based sleep”, which basically is about desire: you get a moment to doze in the daytime, and it's enjoyable to do it.”
The first thing to undertake, therefore, is consider why you want to nap. “Napping can be truly beneficial when overnight rest is disturbed for reasons outside your control – for example, if you’re a parent of a newborn, or recovering from illness or strenuous activity,” explains a sleep physiologist. “However, if you take a nap as your nighttime sleep seems unreliable or broken, that is frequently a sign your need for sleep is not as strong as it should be. In those cases, napping can become a contributing factor, not the solution. Use napping as a temporary measure to address immediate needs – the main goal ought to remain a strong and predictable night’s sleep.”
The Perfect Nap Length
This means that daytime sleep must not be too extended to interfere with your nighttime sleep, and preferably should not occur post-3 p.m. (based on the time you sleep at night). How long is sensible? Advice differs. In one of the most-cited studies about napping, space agency scientists found that space travelers had up to a 54% increase in alertness and a 34% boost in task performance following a nap of 26 minutes (in detail, this included an initial six-minute sleep onset time). “I recommend setting a timer for 20-30 minutes – many individuals doze off within 10 minutes,” explains a specialist. “There is plenty of guidance out there about the perfect length for sleeping, but that tends to cause people to feel more anxious above all – and the most counterproductive thing one can do while aiming to get to sleep is to be anxious.”
Should you decide to take an extended nap, bypass the period between 45 and 60 minutes that induces that sluggish feeling, that disoriented sensation when you awaken. “Research would say it’s better to opt for a longer nap of 60 to 90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” notes the sleep scientist. “45 minutes is enough time to send you into a deep sleep stage and you’re more likely to feel sluggish when you get up – while if you extend it slightly longer to 60 or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to be on the end a full cycle and are likely to get up feeling more rejuvenated. But if you’re sleeping for a long period, it may impact the quality of your sleep later that night.”
Creating an Ideal Sleep Space
As for exact methodologies, suggestions are diverse. A few professionals propose adopting similar routines you use to promote a good night’s sleep: a quiet room, a supportive surface and minimal light as you can manage. Alternatively, experts propose that you should merely snooze on the sofa with ambient lighting is available – to avoid post-nap grogginess and to maintain your sleeping quarters as the environment you associate with proper sleep. “Napping is quite challenging to force,” notes a specialist. “If you don’t have any drowsiness, it is more challenging to recline and essentially instruct yourself to fall asleep. There must be some drive present to bring the sleep on initially. For me, it's possible to nap in broad daylight and awaken on my own alarm-free, though, what aids most folks is to wait for a moment where they feel naturally slightly tired and calmly relax into it.”
It’s worth experimenting, and should your choices are limited – for example, if attempting to squeeze in some shut-eye while traveling or at the office – it's acceptable to employ sleep aids. “Coaching footballers, I recommend that they don’t get used to their own bed for naps, because they’re going to have|they will
