Tune into a few self-improvement gurus, making it simple to think that napping is a superpower: more than a band-aid after a bad night’s sleep, but a path towards improved recall, a brighter outlook and possibly quicker running times. Professional soccer players swear by it – and so are musicians, UFC champions and business leaders. Yet, when you don't have a special sleep space or employment that allows regular snoozing, is it *truly* sufficient advantages to a short sleep for it to be worth the effort? Can you find a reliable way to get to sleep quickly enough? And can you honestly promise you’ll wake up feeling better, rather than worse?
Exploring Your Drive to Snooze
“Experts note three key drivers for taking a nap among most adults,” notes a leading sleep science specialist. “Firstly, there's known as recovery napping, which is the action you take when you’ve had insufficient sleep overnight. The second is prophylactic napping, which involves pre-empting sleep loss ahead, such as if you’re working overnight shifts. Finally, there's “hedonic napping”, which basically comes down to wanting: you have a moment to nap in the daytime, and it feels nice to nap.”
The primary task to consider, then, is consider your reason for napping. “Napping can be truly beneficial when night sleeping is being disrupted because of factors you cannot change – for instance, for caring for an infant, or recovering after being ill or strenuous activity,” says a sleep physiologist. “However, if you take a nap because your night sleep feels fragile or unreliable, that’s often an indicator your sleep drive is not at the level it should be. In such situations, naps can become part of the issue, not the solution. Utilize daytime sleep for brief periods for short-term problems – the main goal ought to remain a robust and regular night’s sleep.”
The Perfect Nap Duration
This means that daytime sleep must not be long enough to interfere with your nighttime sleep, and preferably should not occur post-3 p.m. (based on when you go to bed at night). What's a reasonable length? Advice differs. From the most-cited studies regarding daytime sleep, researchers at Nasa noted that astronauts experienced improvements of over 50% in attentiveness and a 34% increase in task performance post a 26-minute snooze (to be precise, this counted an initial six-minute falling asleep phase). “My advice is setting an alarm for half an hour or less – the majority are asleep within 10 minutes,” says a sleep coach. “You'll find much guidance out there concerning the ideal number of time, however, that can make people feel more anxious than anything – and the least helpful action one can do when trying to nod off is worry about it.”
If you plan to take an extended nap, steer clear of the 45-60 minute window that induces sleep grogginess, that spaced-out feeling upon waking. “Studies indicates it is preferable to have a lengthier snooze of 60 to 90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” notes the expert. “45 minutes is enough time to put you into deep sleep and it is more probable to feel sluggish when you wake up – however, if you take it a little longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you’re likely to be completing of a sleep cycle and are likely to wake up feeling more alert. However, if you're dozing for 90 minutes, it will affect the quality of your sleep later that night.”
Creating the Right Sleep Space
When it comes to precise methods, recommendations vary. Some experts propose adopting the same protocol you use to encourage a good night’s sleep: a peaceful area, a supportive surface and minimal light as is feasible. Some advise that you should merely snooze on the sofa in the existing light is available – to prevent sleep inertia and to preserve your bed as the place you associate with proper sleep. “Falling asleep is notoriously difficult to force,” notes a specialist. “If you don’t have the urge to sleep, it is tougher to recline and practically tell yourself to nod off. You need some sleep pressure there to bring the sleep on to begin with. I can usually take a nap during the day and naturally wake up without a timer, however, what assists most folks is to look for an instance where they feel naturally somewhat sleepy and then simply allow sleep to come.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and if you have few options – for instance, if you’re trying to grab some shut-eye while traveling or in a soundproof office pod – it is perfectly fine to employ some accessories. “Coaching professional sportspeople, I recommend that they avoid becoming accustomed to sleeping in their bed, as they’re going to have|they will
