Tune into enough self-improvement podcasters, making it tempting to convince yourself that napping is a superpower: more than a sticking plaster after a bad night’s sleep, but a route to a better memory, better spirits and possibly quicker running times. Professional footballers are all at it – and so are musicians, mixed martial artists & media moguls. But if you lack a dedicated nap-room or a job that allows frequent naps, are there *really* worthwhile perks to a burst of shut-eye for it to be worth the effort? Does there exist a dependable method to nod off promptly? Furthermore, can you honestly promise you’ll wake up feeling refreshed, not worse?
Identifying Your Drive to Snooze
“We can identify three primary motivations for taking a nap for many people,” notes a leading circadian rhythm specialist. “The first is termed make-up sleep, that is what happens when you’ve had a lack of sleep the previous night. The second is prophylactic napping, when you are anticipating sleep loss ahead, for example when working graveyard shifts. The third is called “appetitive drive”, which essentially is about the wish: there is a moment to nap during the day, and it feels nice to nap.”
The first thing to undertake, then, is to examine your nap motivation. “Daytime sleep can be genuinely useful when overnight rest is being disrupted because of factors you cannot change – such as, when you are a new parent, or you’re recovering from illness or strenuous activity,” explains a sleep expert. “But if you take a nap since your nighttime sleep feels fragile or poor, that is frequently a sign your sleep drive is not at the level it should be. Under those circumstances, daytime sleep can turn into a contributing factor, rather than the answer. Utilize daytime sleep as a short-term solution to address immediate needs – the focus ought to remain a strong and predictable overnight rest.”
The Perfect Nap Length
This implies that napping shouldn’t be long enough to interfere with your nighttime sleep, and preferably shouldn’t take place post-3 p.m. (based on when you sleep at night). What duration is wise? Advice differs. In one of the most referenced research about napping, experts noted that space travelers had up to a 54% increase in attentiveness and a 34% boost in cognitive performance post a 26-minute snooze (to be precise, this counted an initial six-minute sleep onset time). “My advice is setting a timer for half an hour or less – most people are asleep quickly,” says a sleep expert. “You'll find much guidance out there regarding the perfect length for sleeping, but that tends to cause people to feel more stressed than anything – and the worst thing you can do when trying to fall asleep is worry about it.”
Should you decide to sleep for longer, bypass the period between 45 and 60 minutes that promotes sleep inertia, that spaced-out feeling upon waking. “Research would say it’s better to have an extended nap of 60 to 90 minutes than a medium-length one,” notes the sleep scientist. “45 minutes is enough time to put you into deep sleep making it more likely to feel groggy when you get up – while if you nap for slightly longer to a full sleep cycle, you’re likely to finish of a sleep cycle and are likely to wake up feeling more alert. However, if you’re sleeping for a long period, it may impact the quality of your sleep later that night.”
Finding an Ideal Snooze Setting
When it comes to exact methodologies, advice differs. A few professionals recommend adopting the same protocol one would use to encourage restful sleep: a quiet room, a cozy bed and maximum darkness as possible. Some advise that you should just doze on the sofa with ambient lighting is available – both to discourage that groggy feeling and to preserve your sleeping quarters as the environment your brain links with *real* sleep. “Napping is quite challenging to command,” says an expert. “If you don’t have the urge to sleep, it becomes harder to recline and practically instruct yourself to fall asleep. You need some drive available to bring the sleep on to begin with. I can usually nap during the day and naturally wake up without an alarm, though, what aids most folks is to anticipate a moment when they are naturally slightly tired and calmly ease into sleep.”
Experimentation is key, and when options are scarce – for instance, if you’re trying to squeeze in a quick nap during a commute or at the office – it's acceptable to use some accessories. “Coaching footballers, I advise that they avoid becoming accustomed to napping in bed, since they’re going to have|they will
