Listen to enough productivity gurus, and you'll be tempting to convince yourself that napping is a powerful tool: rather than a quick fix following a bad night’s sleep, but a path to improved recall, better spirits and maybe improved athletic performance. Professional athletes do it regularly – along with musicians, mixed martial artists & high-profile executives. However, if you lack a room for napping or employment that permits frequent naps, can there *honestly* worthwhile perks to a short sleep to justify the effort? Can you find a dependable method to nod off promptly? Plus, is it possible to honestly promise you will get up feeling better, rather than worse?
Identifying Your Reasons for Napping
“Experts note three main reasons for daytime sleep for many people,” says a leading sleep science specialist. “Firstly, there's termed recovery napping, that is the action you take when you’ve had poor sleep the previous night. The second is preparatory napping, where you are pre-empting sleep loss coming up, such as if you’re working graveyard shifts. Finally, there's “appetitive drive”, which essentially boils down to wanting: you have a moment to sleep in the daytime, and it feels nice to do it.”
The initial step to consider, so, is consider why you want to nap. “Napping can be really helpful when overnight rest gets interrupted for reasons beyond your control – for instance, for caring for an infant, or you’re recovering after being ill or intense exercise,” explains a sleep physiologist. “But if you take a nap because your sleep at night feels fragile or poor, that’s often a sign your sleep drive is not where required. In such situations, naps can become part of the problem, rather than the answer. Use napping for brief periods for temporary issues – the priority ought to remain a strong and predictable night’s sleep.”
The Optimal Nap Duration
Therefore that daytime sleep must not be too extended to disrupt your sleep at night, and best shouldn’t take place in the late afternoon (contingent on what time you go to bed at night). How long is sensible? Advice differs. In one of the most-cited studies on the subject, space agency scientists noted that space travelers showed improvements of over 50% in alertness and a 34% boost in cognitive performance post a 26-minute snooze (technically, this included an initial six-minute falling asleep phase). “My advice is setting a timer for 20-30 minutes – the majority are asleep in under ten minutes,” explains a specialist. “There is plenty of guidance out there regarding the perfect length for sleeping, however, that can cause people to feel more anxious above all – and the most counterproductive thing you can possibly do while aiming to get to sleep is to stress over it.”
Should you decide to take an extended nap, bypass the 45 to 60 minute range that encourages sleep inertia, that disoriented sensation upon waking. “Research suggests it is preferable to take a lengthier snooze of 60 to 90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” notes the professor. “45 minutes is long enough to put you into a deep sleep stage and you’re more likely to feel disoriented when you wake up – while if you nap for slightly longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you will probably to finish a natural sleep cycle and should awaken feeling more refreshed. Though if you’re sleeping for 90 minutes, it will affect your sleep in the evening.”
Creating the Right Sleep Space
When it comes to specific techniques, advice differs. Certain specialists propose employing similar routines you use to foster quality nighttime sleep: a peaceful area, a comfortable bed and as much darkness as is feasible. Others suggest that it's fine to simply nap on the sofa with ambient lighting happens to be around – to prevent post-nap grogginess and to preserve your bedroom as the space you associate with proper sleep. “Sleep is notoriously difficult to force,” says a sleep coach. “If you don’t have any sleepiness, it is tougher to get comfortable and practically tell yourself to go to sleep. You need a natural inclination present to initiate sleep to begin with. For me, it's possible to take a nap during the day and wake up naturally without an alarm, however, what assists a lot of people is to wait for a time where they feel naturally somewhat sleepy and then simply relax into it.”
Experimentation is key, and when options are scarce – for instance, when aiming to grab a quick nap on a train or in a soundproof office pod – it is perfectly fine with bringing sleep aids. “When I’m working with footballers, I suggest that they not rely on napping in bed, because they’re going to have|they will
