Tune into plenty of performance experts, making it tempting to convince yourself that dozing is a secret weapon: not just a sticking plaster following poor sleep, but a path towards enhanced cognition, better spirits and perhaps improved athletic performance. Elite athletes do it regularly – along with concert pianists, fighters and high-profile executives. But if you don't have a dedicated nap-room or a career that permits daytime sleep, is it *truly* enough benefits to a quick nap to merit the effort? Does there exist a dependable method to nod off promptly? And can you really guarantee you will get up feeling improved, rather than worse?
Identifying Your Nap Motivation
“There are three key drivers for daytime sleep for many people,” says a professor of sleep and circadian science professor. “Firstly, there's known as recovery napping, that is what happens after experiencing a lack of sleep overnight. Secondly, there's prophylactic napping, where you are preparing for a sleep deficit in the future, for example when working on night shifts. Finally, there's “pleasure-based sleep”, which simply is about desire: there is an opportunity to sleep in the daytime, and it's enjoyable to nap.”
The primary task to undertake, therefore, is consider your nap motivation. “Napping can be truly beneficial when night sleeping gets interrupted because of factors outside your control – such as, for a parent of a newborn, or you’re recovering after being ill or intense exercise,” says a sleep expert. “But if you’re napping since your sleep at night seems unreliable or poor, that is frequently a signal your need for sleep is not at the level it needs to be. In such situations, napping can become a contributing factor, instead of the fix. Employ naps as a short-term solution for temporary issues – the priority should still be a robust and regular night’s sleep.”
The Optimal Snooze Time
This means that naps must not be long enough to disrupt your sleep at night, and preferably shouldn’t take place in the late afternoon (based on when you sleep at night). What's a reasonable length? Advice differs. In one of the most referenced research on the subject, researchers at Nasa discovered that space travelers showed improvements of over 50% in vigilance and a 34% increase in task performance following a nap of 26 minutes (to be precise, this involved a six-minute long nodding-off period). “I’d suggest setting a timer for 20 to 30 minutes – most people doze off quickly,” explains a specialist. “There is plenty of guidance out there about the optimal amount of time, however, that can lead individuals to become more worried than anything else – and the most counterproductive thing you can do when attempting to get to sleep is to be anxious.”
Should you decide to sleep for longer, bypass the 45 to 60 minute range that induces sleep grogginess, that disoriented sensation upon waking. “Research suggests it’s better to have an extended nap of one to one and a half hours than a medium-length one,” says the expert. “Forty-five minutes is long enough to put you into slow-wave sleep 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 a full cycle and will probably awaken feeling more rejuvenated. Though if you’re sleeping for a long period, it may impact the quality of your sleep in the evening.”
Establishing the Perfect Snooze Setting
When it comes to exact methodologies, recommendations vary. A few professionals propose using similar routines one would use to foster a good night’s sleep: a peaceful area, a supportive surface and as much darkness as possible. Others suggest that it's fine to merely snooze on the sofa in the existing light happens to be around – both to discourage that groggy feeling and to maintain your sleeping quarters as the space your mind associates with *real* sleep. “Sleep is notoriously difficult to force,” says a specialist. “Lacking the urge to sleep, it is more challenging to lie down and essentially instruct yourself to nod off. There’s got to be a natural inclination present to initiate sleep to begin with. Personally, I can often nap during the day and wake up naturally alarm-free, though, what aids most folks is to wait for an instance where they feel naturally feeling a bit drowsy and just gently allow sleep to come.”
It’s worth experimenting, and when you have few options – for example, if you’re trying to squeeze in some shut-eye during a commute or in a work pod – there’s nothing wrong with bringing a few tools. “Coaching professional sportspeople, I advise that they don’t get used to napping in bed, since they’re going to have|they will
