Listen to enough productivity experts, making it easy to think that napping is a secret weapon: rather than a band-aid following poor sleep, but a path to improved recall, improved mood and perhaps quicker running times. Premier League soccer players do it regularly – as do concert pianists, fighters & high-profile executives. But if you haven’t got a dedicated nap-room or a career that allows regular snoozing, is it *truly* sufficient advantages to a quick nap to justify the hassle? Is there a reliable way to fall asleep fast? And can you honestly promise you’ll wake up feeling improved, instead of groggy?
Understanding Your Nap Motivation
“There are three main reasons for napping among most adults,” says a professor of sleep and circadian science professor. “One is termed recovery napping, which is what you do after experiencing a lack of sleep the night before. Another is preparatory napping, where you are pre-empting a sleep deficit coming up, such as when working on night shifts. The third reason is “hedonic napping”, which essentially is about the wish: there is a chance to sleep during the day, and it's enjoyable to indulge.”
The initial step to do, therefore, is to think about your nap motivation. “Napping can be genuinely useful when nighttime sleep gets interrupted because of factors outside your control – for instance, when you are a parent of a newborn, or recovering from sickness or intense exercise,” says a sleep specialist. “However, if you take a nap since your night sleep is unstable or unreliable, that can be an indicator your sleep drive is not where it should be. In such situations, napping can become part of the issue, instead of the fix. Utilize daytime sleep as a short-term solution for short-term problems – the focus must always be a robust and regular overnight rest.”
The Ideal Snooze Time
This means that napping shouldn’t be long enough to disrupt your overnight rest, and preferably should not occur post-3 p.m. (contingent on the time you go to bed at night). What's a reasonable length? Recommendations vary. From a prominent study regarding daytime sleep, experts discovered that crew members had a boost of up to 54% in attentiveness and a 34% boost in cognitive performance post a 26-minute snooze (technically, this included an initial six-minute sleep onset time). “I’d suggest setting a timer for 20-30 minutes – many individuals doze off within 10 minutes,” says a sleep coach. “You'll find much guidance out there regarding the optimal amount of minutes, yet that often cause people to feel more anxious than anything – and the worst thing you can do when attempting to get to sleep is to be anxious.”
If you plan to sleep for longer, bypass the period between 45 and 60 minutes that promotes that sluggish feeling, that disoriented sensation upon waking. “The science suggests it is preferable to take an extended nap lasting 60-90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” says the professor. “Forty-five minutes is long enough to plunge you into a deep sleep stage and it is more probable to feel disoriented upon awakening – whereas if you take it slightly longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you will probably to be on the end a full cycle and should awaken feeling more rejuvenated. Though if you nap for an hour and a half, it will affect the quality of your sleep in the evening.”
Creating the Perfect Nap Environment
As for precise methods, recommendations vary. Some experts suggest using the same protocol one would use to encourage restful sleep: a quiet room, a cozy bed and maximum darkness as is feasible. Alternatively, experts propose that you should merely snooze on the sofa with ambient lighting happens to be around – to prevent that groggy feeling and to preserve your sleeping quarters as the space your mind associates with nighttime rest. “Sleep is notoriously difficult to command,” notes an expert. “If you don’t have the urge to sleep, it is more challenging to recline and basically tell yourself to go to sleep. You need a natural inclination present to bring the sleep on in the first place. I can usually nap in full light and awaken on my own without a timer, but what helps a lot of people is to look for a time where they feel naturally somewhat sleepy and calmly allow sleep to come.”
It’s worth experimenting, and should you have few options – for example, if attempting to fit in 40 winks while traveling or in a soundproof office pod – it's acceptable to employ a few tools. “When I’m working with elite athletes, I recommend that they not rely on napping in bed, since they’re going to have|they will
