Listen to a few productivity gurus, making it tempting to convince yourself that dozing is a powerful tool: more than a band-aid after a bad night’s sleep, but a route to enhanced cognition, improved mood and perhaps quicker running times. Premier League footballers are all at it – as do concert pianists, mixed martial artists & business leaders. But if you haven’t got a room for napping or a job that permits regular snoozing, is it *truly* sufficient advantages to a burst of shut-eye to merit the effort? Is there a dependable method to get to sleep quickly enough? Furthermore, can you honestly promise you’ll wake up feeling better, instead of groggy?
Understanding The Reasons for Napping
“There are three main reasons for taking a nap among most adults,” notes a professor of circadian rhythm specialist. “Firstly, there's known as compensatory napping, essentially the action you take following a lack of sleep the night before. The second is prophylactic napping, when you are preparing for a sleep deficit ahead, such as during graveyard shifts. The third reason is “hedonic napping”, which simply comes down to the wish: you have a moment to doze during the day, and it's pleasant to do it.”
The initial step to consider, therefore, is to examine why you want to nap. “Naps can be truly beneficial when night sleeping gets interrupted for reasons you cannot change – for example, if you’re a new parent, or you’re recovering from illness or strenuous activity,” says a sleep expert. “Yet when you’re napping because your sleep at night seems unreliable or poor, that can be a sign your sleep drive is not at the level it should be. In such situations, napping can become part of the problem, rather than the answer. Employ naps as a short-term solution for short-term problems – the priority must always be a robust and regular overnight rest.”
The Perfect Nap Duration
This means that naps shouldn’t be too extended to interfere with your nighttime sleep, and ideally shouldn’t take place post-3 p.m. (depending on when you sleep in the evening). What's a reasonable length? Recommendations vary. From the most-cited studies on the subject, researchers at Nasa found that crew members experienced a boost of up to 54% in vigilance and a 34% boost in cognitive performance following a nap of 26 minutes (to be precise, this included an initial six-minute falling asleep phase). “I’d suggest setting a timer for half an hour or less – many individuals fall asleep quickly,” explains a specialist. “There’s a lot of advice around concerning the perfect length of time, but that tends to cause people to feel more worried above all – and the most counterproductive thing you can possibly do while aiming to get to sleep is worry about it.”
If you plan to sleep for longer, steer clear of the 45-60 minute window that promotes sleep grogginess, that foggy state when you wake. “Studies would say it's more effective to take an extended nap of 60 to 90 minutes than a medium-length one,” explains the sleep scientist. “Three-quarters of an hour is enough time to send you into deep sleep making it more likely to feel disoriented upon awakening – whereas if you nap for slightly longer to 60 or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to finish of a sleep cycle and should wake up feeling more alert. Though if you’re sleeping for an hour and a half, it can influence your sleep later that night.”
Establishing the Perfect Nap Environment
As for precise methods, advice differs. A few professionals suggest employing similar routines you’d use to promote restful sleep: a silent space, a cozy bed and minimal light as possible. Others suggest that you should simply nap on the sofa with ambient lighting happens to be around – to avoid that groggy feeling and to “protect” your sleeping quarters as the environment your mind associates with proper sleep. “Falling asleep is notoriously difficult to command,” notes a sleep coach. “Lacking the urge to sleep, it is tougher to lie down and basically command yourself to fall asleep. There’s got to be some drive there to initiate sleep to begin with. Personally, I can often nap during the day and awaken on my own without an alarm, however, what assists a lot of people is to anticipate an instance where they feel naturally feeling a bit drowsy and calmly allow sleep to come.”
It’s worth experimenting, and if you have few options – for example, when aiming to squeeze in some shut-eye while traveling or in a work pod – it's acceptable to use sleep aids. “When I’m working with professional sportspeople, I suggest that they don’t get used to sleeping in their bed, because they’re going to have|they will
