Hear a few productivity podcasters, and you'll be tempting to convince yourself that napping is a superpower: more than a quick fix after a bad night’s sleep, but a route towards a better memory, improved mood and maybe improved athletic performance. Elite soccer players do it regularly – and so are musicians, UFC champions & media moguls. However, if you don't have a dedicated nap-room or a career that permits frequent naps, can there *honestly* enough benefits to a burst of shut-eye to justify the kerfuffle? Does there exist a surefire technique to nod off promptly? And can you truly ensure you’ll wake up feeling refreshed, not worse?
Understanding Your Nap Motivation
“There are three primary motivations for napping for many people,” notes a professor of sleep science specialist. “One is known as recovery napping, that is what you do when you’ve had insufficient sleep the previous night. Secondly, there's preparatory napping, when you are pre-empting sleep loss ahead, such as when working overnight shifts. Finally, there's “appetitive drive”, which basically boils down to the wish: you get a chance to nap in the afternoon, and it feels nice to do it.”
The primary task to undertake, then, is to examine your reason for napping. “Daytime sleep can be truly beneficial when overnight rest is being disrupted for reasons you cannot change – such as, when you are caring for an infant, or you’re recovering from illness or heavy physical exertion,” states a sleep physiologist. “However, if you nap as your nighttime sleep seems unreliable or broken, that’s often a signal your body's sleep pressure is not as strong as it should be. In such situations, daytime sleep can turn into part of the problem, not the solution. Employ naps as a temporary measure for short-term problems – the priority must always be a robust and regular night’s sleep.”
The Optimal Snooze Time
This means that daytime sleep ought not to be too extended to interfere with your nighttime sleep, and ideally shouldn’t take place post-3 p.m. (based on the time you sleep overnight). How long is sensible? Recommendations vary. In one of a prominent study regarding daytime sleep, researchers at Nasa noted that crew members experienced up to a 54% increase in alertness plus a 34% rise in performance following a nap of 26 minutes (to be precise, this included a six-minute long sleep onset time). “I’d suggest setting an alarm for half an hour or less – the majority are asleep in under ten minutes,” says a specialist. “You'll find much advice around about the optimal amount of time, but that tends to make people feel more stressed than anything else – and the most counterproductive thing one can do while aiming to nod off is worry about it.”
If you plan to sleep for longer, bypass the 45 to 60 minute range that induces sleep grogginess, that foggy state when you awaken. “Research suggests it's more effective to take a lengthier snooze of 60 to 90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” says the sleep scientist. “Three-quarters of an hour is enough time to send you into a deep sleep stage and it is more probable to feel sluggish when you wake up – whereas if you extend it slightly longer to an hour or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to be on the end a full cycle and are likely to wake up feeling more alert. Though if you're dozing for a long period, it may impact your sleep later that night.”
Establishing the Perfect Snooze Setting
Regarding exact methodologies, recommendations vary. Certain specialists recommend using the same protocol you use to promote restful sleep: a peaceful area, a supportive surface and minimal light as possible. Others suggest that it's fine to merely snooze on a couch in the existing light is available – to avoid sleep inertia and to maintain your bed as the environment your brain links with *real* sleep. “Napping is something really tricky to force,” notes a specialist. “Lacking any drowsiness, it is tougher to get comfortable and practically instruct yourself to fall asleep. There must be a natural inclination there to start the process to begin with. I can usually snooze in full light and wake up naturally without an alarm, however, what assists most folks is to anticipate a moment when they are naturally feeling a bit drowsy and calmly relax into it.”
It’s worth experimenting, and when your choices are limited – for example, if attempting to fit in some shut-eye during a commute or at the office – it is perfectly fine with bringing a few tools. “Coaching footballers, I advise that they don’t get used to napping in bed, since they’re going to have|they will
