Tune into plenty of self-improvement podcasters, and it’s simple to think that napping is a secret weapon: rather than a band-aid after restless night, but a shortcut to a better memory, improved mood and perhaps a faster 5k run time. Professional footballers swear by it – and so are musicians, UFC champions & high-profile executives. But if you lack a special sleep space or a career that encourages frequent naps, is it *truly* enough benefits to a burst of shut-eye to justify the effort? Does there exist a surefire technique to fall asleep fast? Plus, is it possible to really guarantee you will get up feeling better, instead of groggy?
Understanding Your Drive to Snooze
“We can identify three main reasons for napping in the adult population,” says a leading sleep and circadian science researcher. “One is termed make-up sleep, essentially what you do following poor sleep the previous night. Another is prophylactic napping, which involves pre-empting a sleep deficit ahead, such as when working overnight shifts. Finally, there's “appetitive drive”, which simply comes down to the wish: you get a moment to nap during the day, and it feels nice to nap.”
The initial step to do, then, is to think about your reason for napping. “Daytime sleep can be genuinely useful when nighttime sleep is disturbed due to causes beyond your control – for example, if you’re a parent of a newborn, or recovering from sickness or intense exercise,” says a sleep expert. “Yet when you’re napping because your nighttime sleep seems unreliable or broken, that’s often a signal your need for sleep is not at the level it needs to be. In such situations, naps can become part of the problem, instead of the fix. Utilize daytime sleep for brief periods for short-term problems – the priority must always be a solid and consistent sleep at night.”
The Optimal Snooze Time
Therefore that daytime sleep shouldn’t be long enough to disrupt your sleep at night, and best are not recommended post-3 p.m. (based on when you retire in the evening). How long is sensible? Guidelines are mixed. In one of the most referenced research regarding daytime sleep, space agency scientists noted that crew members showed a boost of up to 54% in attentiveness plus a 34% rise in performance following a nap of 26 minutes (technically, this included a six-minute sleep onset time). “My advice is setting a timer for 20 to 30 minutes – most people doze off in under ten minutes,” explains a sleep expert. “There is plenty of advice around concerning the ideal number for sleeping, yet that often cause people to feel more stressed above all – and the worst thing you can do when trying to nod off is to be anxious.”
If you’re going to nap for a longer period, avoid the 45-60 minute window that induces that sluggish feeling, that disoriented sensation upon waking. “Studies indicates it is preferable to take a longer nap lasting 60-90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” explains the professor. “Three-quarters of an hour is long enough to put you into a deep sleep stage making it more likely to feel disoriented when you wake up – while if you extend it slightly longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you’re likely to finish a natural sleep cycle and will probably wake up feeling more alert. Though if you’re sleeping for 90 minutes, it may impact how you sleep later that night.”
Establishing an Ideal Sleep Space
Regarding precise methods, advice differs. A few professionals suggest using comparable habits you use to foster a good night’s sleep: a peaceful area, a supportive surface and as much darkness as is feasible. Others suggest that one could simply nap in a chair in the existing light happens to be around – to avoid post-nap grogginess and to maintain your sleeping quarters as the environment you associate with *real* sleep. “Falling asleep is quite challenging to will,” says an expert. “Without any drowsiness, it is more challenging to get comfortable and practically instruct yourself to go to sleep. There’s got to be some sleep pressure available to start the process initially. Personally, I can often take a nap in broad daylight and naturally wake up without a timer, however, what assists many individuals is to wait for an instance where they feel naturally somewhat sleepy and calmly allow sleep to come.”
Experimentation is key, and if options are scarce – for instance, if you’re trying to grab 40 winks while traveling or in a work pod – there’s nothing wrong with bringing a few tools. “Coaching professional sportspeople, I recommend that they don’t get used to their own bed for naps, as they’re going to have|they will
