Listen to enough self-improvement experts, and you'll be simple to believe that dozing is a secret weapon: more than a sticking plaster after a bad night’s sleep, but a path to a better memory, better spirits and maybe quicker running times. Elite soccer players are all at it – as do musicians, mixed martial artists & business leaders. But if you don't have a special sleep space or employment that allows frequent naps, is it *truly* sufficient advantages to a quick nap to merit the effort? Can you find a reliable way to get to sleep quickly enough? And can you really guarantee you’ll wake up feeling refreshed, rather than worse?
Identifying Your Reasons for Napping
“There are three key drivers for napping in the adult population,” notes a professor of sleep and circadian science specialist. “The first is what we call make-up sleep, that is the action you take following poor sleep the night before. Another is preparatory napping, where you are pre-empting sleep loss coming up, such as if you’re working graveyard shifts. Finally, there's “hedonic napping”, which basically is about wanting: there is a moment to doze in the afternoon, and it's pleasant to nap.”
The primary task to consider, therefore, is to think about your reason for napping. “Naps can be truly beneficial when night sleeping gets interrupted due to causes beyond your control – for example, when you are a new parent, or recovering after being ill or intense exercise,” states a sleep expert. “But if you nap since your sleep at night feels fragile or unreliable, that’s often a sign your sleep drive is not as strong as it should be. In those cases, naps can become part of the problem, instead of the fix. Utilize daytime sleep as a temporary measure for temporary issues – the focus must always be a strong and predictable night’s sleep.”
The Perfect Nap Length
This means that napping ought not to be long enough to affect your overnight rest, and preferably shouldn’t take place post-3 p.m. (based on the time you sleep overnight). What's a reasonable length? Guidelines are mixed. In one of the most-cited studies on the subject, researchers at Nasa noted that crew members showed a boost of up to 54% in alertness and a 34% boost in cognitive performance after a 26-minute nap (to be precise, this counted a six-minute long falling asleep phase). “I recommend setting a timer for half an hour or less – many individuals are asleep quickly,” notes a specialist. “You'll find much advice around concerning the ideal number of time, yet that often lead individuals to become more stressed than anything – and the worst thing you can possibly do while aiming to get to sleep is to be anxious.”
If you’re going to take an extended nap, bypass the 45-60 minute window that induces sleep inertia, that spaced-out feeling upon waking. “The science suggests it's more effective to take a longer nap of one to one and a half hours than a medium-length one,” says the sleep scientist. “45 minutes is sufficient to put you into deep sleep and it is more probable to feel groggy upon awakening – whereas if you extend it a bit longer to a full sleep cycle, you will probably to be completing a natural sleep cycle and will probably wake up feeling more alert. But if you’re sleeping for a long period, it can influence how you sleep in the evening.”
Creating the Perfect Sleep Space
When it comes to precise methods, recommendations vary. A few professionals recommend adopting comparable habits you’d use to foster a good night’s sleep: a peaceful area, a supportive surface and minimal light as you can manage. Alternatively, experts propose that one could just doze on the sofa with ambient lighting is available – both to discourage that groggy feeling and to “protect” your bed as the environment your brain links with nighttime rest. “Napping is something really tricky to will,” says a specialist. “If you don’t have any sleepiness, it is tougher to lie down and essentially instruct yourself to fall asleep. There’s got to be some sleep pressure present to start the process initially. For me, it's possible to snooze during the day and wake up naturally without a timer, however, what assists most folks is to anticipate a moment that they’re naturally slightly tired and just gently allow sleep to come.”
It’s worth experimenting, and should options are scarce – such as, if attempting to squeeze in some shut-eye while traveling or at the office – it is perfectly fine to employ a few tools. “When I’m working with footballers, I suggest that they don’t get used to napping in bed, since they’re going to have|they will
