Hear enough performance gurus, and it’s simple to think that dozing is a powerful tool: more than a sticking plaster after restless night, but a path to improved recall, a brighter outlook and possibly improved athletic performance. Elite footballers are all at it – as do musicians, UFC champions and media moguls. But if you lack a room for napping or a job that permits frequent naps, can there *honestly* enough benefits to a burst of shut-eye to merit the hassle? Does there exist a surefire technique to nod off promptly? And can you really guarantee you will arise feeling refreshed, not worse?
Identifying Your Drive to Snooze
“Experts note three primary motivations for napping for many people,” notes a leading sleep science specialist. “Firstly, there's termed make-up sleep, that is what you do after experiencing poor sleep the night before. Secondly, there's preparatory napping, when you are preparing for sleep loss ahead, for instance during overnight shifts. The third is called “appetitive drive”, which basically is about the wish: you get a moment to nap in the afternoon, and it feels nice to indulge.”
The initial step to do, so, is to think about why you want to nap. “Naps can be truly beneficial when overnight rest gets interrupted because of factors outside your control – such as, for a parent of a newborn, or recovering after being ill or strenuous activity,” states a sleep specialist. “Yet when you’re napping as your nighttime sleep feels fragile or unreliable, that can be an indicator your need for sleep is not as strong as required. Under those circumstances, naps can become part of the issue, rather than the answer. Utilize daytime sleep for brief periods for short-term problems – the focus must always be a robust and regular sleep at night.”
The Ideal Snooze Time
Therefore that daytime sleep shouldn’t be long enough to disrupt your nighttime sleep, and preferably are not recommended after about 3pm (depending on when you go to bed at night). What duration is wise? Guidelines are mixed. From the most referenced research about napping, space agency scientists found that astronauts experienced a boost of up to 54% in attentiveness and a 34% increase in performance post a 26-minute snooze (in detail, this counted an initial six-minute falling asleep phase). “I’d suggest setting a timer for 20-30 minutes – many individuals are asleep in under ten minutes,” notes a sleep expert. “There’s a lot of advice around regarding the perfect length of time, however, that can lead individuals to become more anxious than anything – and the worst thing you can possibly do when trying to get to sleep is to stress over it.”
If you plan to take an extended nap, steer clear of the period between 45 and 60 minutes that induces that sluggish feeling, that disoriented sensation upon waking. “The science would say it is preferable to take an extended nap lasting 60-90 minutes than a medium-length one,” notes the expert. “Forty-five minutes is long enough to put you into deep sleep and you’re more likely to feel groggy when you wake up – whereas if you nap for a bit longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you’re likely to be completing a full cycle and are likely to get up feeling more alert. Though if you're dozing for 90 minutes, it will affect your sleep later that night.”
Establishing the Right Snooze Setting
When it comes to precise methods, recommendations vary. Certain specialists suggest adopting the same protocol you’d use to encourage a good night’s sleep: a quiet room, a cozy bed and as much darkness as possible. Some advise that one could merely snooze on a couch in whatever light is present – both to discourage sleep inertia and to “protect” your bedroom as the place you associate with proper sleep. “Falling asleep is notoriously difficult to command,” notes a specialist. “Without the urge to sleep, it becomes harder to lie down and practically instruct yourself to go to sleep. You need some sleep pressure there to start the process initially. I can usually take a nap in broad daylight and wake up naturally without a timer, but what helps most folks is to look for an instance where they feel naturally feeling a bit drowsy and calmly ease into sleep.”
It’s worth experimenting, and when your choices are limited – for instance, if you’re trying to grab a quick nap while traveling or at the office – it's acceptable with bringing sleep aids. “Coaching professional sportspeople, I advise that they not rely on sleeping in their bed, since they’re going to have|they will
