Tune into plenty of productivity gurus, and you'll be tempting to think that dozing is a powerful tool: more than a sticking plaster after poor sleep, but a shortcut to improved recall, better spirits and perhaps improved athletic performance. Elite soccer players swear by it – along with professional piano players, UFC champions & media moguls. Yet, when you don't have a dedicated nap-room or a job that encourages frequent naps, can there *honestly* enough benefits to a short sleep for it to be worth the kerfuffle? Does there exist a reliable way to fall asleep fast? And can you really guarantee you will arise feeling refreshed, instead of groggy?
Exploring Your Reasons for Napping
“We can identify three key drivers for taking a nap in the adult population,” notes a leading sleep science specialist. “The first is what we call recovery napping, which is the action you take following a lack of sleep the night before. Another is preparatory napping, which involves pre-empting insufficient sleep in the future, for example if you’re working overnight shifts. The third is called “pleasure-based sleep”, which simply comes down to wanting: you get a chance to nap in the afternoon, and it feels nice to indulge.”
The primary task to do, therefore, is to examine your reason for napping. “Naps can be truly beneficial when night sleeping is being disrupted due to causes you cannot change – such as, if you’re caring for an infant, or recovering from illness or heavy physical exertion,” states a sleep specialist. “Yet when you nap as your sleep at night feels fragile or poor, that can be an indicator your need for sleep is not where required. In such situations, naps can become a contributing factor, not the solution. Use napping as a temporary measure for temporary issues – the focus ought to remain a strong and predictable night’s sleep.”
The Optimal Nap Length
This implies that daytime sleep shouldn’t be sufficiently lengthy to affect your nighttime sleep, and best are not recommended post-3 p.m. (contingent on the time you sleep in the evening). What's a reasonable length? Advice differs. Among the most-cited studies about napping, experts found that space travelers showed a boost of up to 54% in vigilance plus a 34% rise in cognitive performance following a nap of 26 minutes (to be precise, this counted a six-minute sleep onset time). “I’d suggest setting a timer for half an hour or less – the majority are asleep in under ten minutes,” explains a sleep expert. “You'll find much recommendations concerning the perfect length for sleeping, but that tends to make people feel more anxious than anything else – and the most counterproductive thing you can possibly do when trying to fall asleep is worry about it.”
If you plan to sleep for longer, avoid the 45 to 60 minute range that induces that sluggish feeling, that foggy state upon waking. “The science suggests it's more effective to opt for an extended nap of 60 to 90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” explains the professor. “45 minutes is enough time to put you into a deep sleep stage and you’re more likely to feel sluggish when you wake up – while if you extend it slightly longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you will probably to finish a full cycle and will probably get up feeling more alert. But if you nap for 90 minutes, it can influence the quality of your sleep that night.”
Creating an Ideal Sleep Space
As for specific techniques, advice differs. Certain specialists propose using comparable habits you’d use to foster restful sleep: a silent space, a comfortable bed and as much darkness as is feasible. Some advise that one could simply nap in a chair with ambient lighting is present – both to discourage post-nap grogginess and to “protect” your bed as the space your mind associates with *real* sleep. “Sleep is something really tricky to will,” notes a sleep coach. “Lacking any drowsiness, it is more challenging to get comfortable and basically tell yourself to nod off. You need a natural inclination present to initiate sleep to begin with. I can usually nap in full light and wake up naturally alarm-free, though, what aids many individuals is to look for a time where they feel naturally somewhat sleepy and just gently allow sleep to come.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and when you have few options – for example, when aiming to squeeze in some shut-eye while traveling or in a soundproof office pod – it is perfectly fine to use a few tools. “Coaching footballers, I suggest that they avoid becoming accustomed to their own bed for naps, since they’re going to have|they will
