Hear enough self-improvement gurus, and you'll be easy to think that napping is a powerful tool: not just a quick fix after poor sleep, but a path towards a better memory, better spirits and perhaps quicker running times. Elite footballers swear by it – along with concert pianists, UFC champions and business leaders. But if you haven’t got a dedicated nap-room or a job that permits daytime sleep, can there *honestly* sufficient advantages to a burst of shut-eye to merit the kerfuffle? Does there exist a reliable way to nod off promptly? Plus, is it possible to truly ensure you will get up feeling better, not worse?
Identifying Your Nap Motivation
“There are three primary motivations for taking a nap among most adults,” says an expert circadian rhythm professor. “The first is what we call compensatory napping, essentially what happens when you’ve had insufficient sleep overnight. The second is pre-emptive sleep, where you are pre-empting insufficient sleep coming up, for example when working overnight shifts. The third reason is “pleasure-based sleep”, which essentially boils down to the wish: you have a chance to sleep during the day, and it feels nice to do it.”
The first thing to consider, then, is to examine your reason for napping. “Naps can be genuinely useful when night sleeping is disturbed for reasons you cannot change – such as, if you’re a new parent, or you’re recovering from sickness or intense exercise,” says a sleep physiologist. “Yet when you’re napping because your sleep at night feels fragile or unreliable, that’s often an indicator your need for sleep is not as strong as it needs to be. Under those circumstances, daytime sleep can turn into part of the issue, instead of the fix. Utilize daytime sleep as a short-term solution to address immediate needs – the priority must always be a solid and consistent overnight rest.”
The Optimal Nap Length
This means that daytime sleep must not be long enough to disrupt your overnight rest, and preferably should not occur post-3 p.m. (contingent on what time you go to bed overnight). What duration is wise? Guidelines are mixed. Among the most referenced research regarding daytime sleep, experts discovered that space travelers showed improvements of over 50% in alertness and a 34% boost in performance following a nap of 26 minutes (to be precise, this counted an initial six-minute nodding-off period). “I recommend setting an alarm for half an hour or less – many individuals fall asleep quickly,” notes a specialist. “There’s a lot of advice around regarding the optimal amount for sleeping, but that tends to cause people to feel more stressed above all – and the worst thing you can do when attempting to nod off is worry about it.”
Should you decide to take an extended nap, steer clear of the period between 45 and 60 minutes that promotes sleep grogginess, that spaced-out feeling upon waking. “Research suggests it's more effective to take a longer nap lasting 60-90 minutes than a medium-length one,” says the expert. “Forty-five minutes is long enough to plunge you into a deep sleep stage and it is more probable to feel sluggish when you get up – while if you nap for a little longer to a full sleep cycle, you will probably to be on the end a natural sleep cycle and should get up feeling more alert. However, if you’re sleeping for a long period, it will affect your sleep later that night.”
Finding an Ideal Sleep Space
Regarding precise methods, suggestions are diverse. Some experts suggest employing similar routines you’d use to promote quality nighttime sleep: a silent space, a supportive surface and as much darkness as you can manage. Some advise that you should simply nap on the sofa with ambient lighting is present – both to discourage sleep inertia and to “protect” your bedroom as the environment you associate with *real* sleep. “Falling asleep is notoriously difficult to force,” notes an expert. “If you don’t have any sleepiness, it is more challenging to recline and practically tell yourself to fall asleep. There must be some drive present to start the process initially. I can usually snooze during the day and awaken on my own without a timer, though, what aids many individuals is to anticipate a moment where they feel naturally feeling a bit drowsy and then simply relax into it.”
It’s worth experimenting, and if options are scarce – such as, if attempting to squeeze in some shut-eye on a train or in a work pod – it's acceptable to use some accessories. “When I’m working with footballers, I advise that they don’t get used to sleeping in their bed, because they’re going to have|they will
