Hear a few performance experts, and it’s easy to convince yourself that napping is a secret weapon: rather than a sticking plaster following a bad night’s sleep, but a path towards enhanced cognition, improved mood and maybe a faster 5k run time. Elite footballers swear by it – and so are professional piano players, fighters and media moguls. Yet, when you lack a room for napping or employment that encourages frequent naps, can there *honestly* worthwhile perks to a quick nap to justify the kerfuffle? Does there exist a surefire technique to nod off promptly? And can you really guarantee you’ll wake up feeling improved, instead of groggy?
Understanding Your Nap Motivation
“We can identify three key drivers for taking a nap for many people,” says an expert sleep science researcher. “One is what we call recovery napping, which is what you do following insufficient sleep the night before. Another is pre-emptive sleep, which involves pre-empting sleep loss ahead, for instance during overnight shifts. Finally, there's “appetitive drive”, which basically comes down to the wish: you get a moment to nap during the day, and it's pleasant to do it.”
The initial step to do, then, is to examine why you want to nap. “Napping can be genuinely useful when overnight rest gets interrupted because of factors beyond your control – for example, for a parent of a newborn, or you’re recovering from sickness or strenuous activity,” states a sleep expert. “However, if you’re napping as your night sleep is unstable or broken, that can be an indicator your body's sleep pressure is not as strong as it needs to be. In those cases, napping can become a contributing factor, rather than the answer. Employ naps for brief periods to address immediate needs – the main goal ought to remain a robust and regular overnight rest.”
The Ideal Nap Duration
This implies that naps shouldn’t be sufficiently lengthy to affect your nighttime sleep, and best shouldn’t take place in the late afternoon (contingent on what time you sleep in the evening). How long is sensible? Recommendations vary. Among the most-cited studies regarding daytime sleep, space agency scientists noted that crew members had a boost of up to 54% in vigilance plus a 34% rise in task performance post a 26-minute snooze (in detail, this counted a six-minute long nodding-off period). “My advice is setting a timer for 20 to 30 minutes – many individuals are asleep within 10 minutes,” notes a sleep coach. “There is plenty of guidance out there about the optimal amount of time, yet that often make people feel more worried than anything else – and the worst thing you can possibly do when attempting to nod off is to be anxious.”
If you plan to take an extended nap, bypass the 45 to 60 minute range that induces that sluggish feeling, that foggy state upon waking. “Research suggests it's more effective to opt for a longer nap of 60 to 90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” notes the professor. “45 minutes is long enough to put you into deep sleep and it is more probable to feel groggy when you get up – however, if you extend it a bit longer to a full sleep cycle, you will probably to be on the end a natural sleep cycle and will probably wake up feeling more alert. Though if you're dozing for a long period, it may impact how you sleep that night.”
Creating an Ideal Sleep Space
When it comes to specific techniques, recommendations vary. Some experts propose adopting similar routines you use to promote restful sleep: a quiet room, a supportive surface and as much darkness as you can manage. Others suggest that it's fine to merely snooze on a couch in the existing light is available – to avoid that groggy feeling and to “protect” your bed as the environment your mind associates with proper sleep. “Sleep is quite challenging to command,” notes a sleep coach. “Without any drowsiness, it becomes harder to lie down and essentially command yourself to fall asleep. There’s got to be some sleep pressure available to start the process to begin with. I can usually snooze during the day and naturally wake up without an alarm, but what helps a lot of people is to look for a time when they are naturally slightly tired and just gently ease into sleep.”
It’s worth experimenting, and should options are scarce – for example, if you’re trying to squeeze in a quick nap while traveling or in a work pod – it is perfectly fine to use a few tools. “When I’m working with professional sportspeople, I suggest that they avoid becoming accustomed to napping in bed, as they’re going to have|they will
