Listen to plenty of performance experts, and you'll be easy to believe that a nap is a superpower: more than a quick fix after restless night, but a route towards improved recall, a brighter outlook and possibly quicker running times. Professional soccer players swear by it – as do professional piano players, UFC champions and media moguls. But if you don't have a room for napping or employment that encourages daytime sleep, are there *really* enough benefits to a burst of shut-eye for it to be worth the hassle? Is there a surefire technique to nod off promptly? Plus, is it possible to really guarantee you’ll wake up feeling better, not worse?
Exploring Your Reasons for Napping
“We can identify three primary motivations for taking a nap among most adults,” notes a leading sleep science professor. “The first is what we call compensatory napping, that is what you do following insufficient sleep the night before. The second is pre-emptive sleep, which involves preparing for sleep loss coming up, for instance if you’re working on night shifts. Finally, there's “hedonic napping”, which essentially comes down to wanting: there is a moment to nap in the daytime, and it feels nice to do it.”
The initial step to undertake, therefore, is to examine your reason for napping. “Napping can be truly beneficial when night sleeping gets interrupted for reasons you cannot change – for instance, if you’re a parent of a newborn, or you’re recovering from sickness or heavy physical exertion,” explains a sleep specialist. “However, if you nap as your sleep at night feels fragile or unreliable, that’s often a sign your need for sleep is not as strong as required. In those cases, naps can become a contributing factor, not the solution. Utilize daytime sleep as a short-term solution for short-term problems – the main goal ought to remain a strong and predictable night’s sleep.”
The Ideal Snooze Time
Therefore that daytime sleep ought not to be long enough to interfere with your overnight rest, and preferably are not recommended post-3 p.m. (based on when you sleep overnight). How long is sensible? Recommendations vary. Among the most referenced research about napping, experts noted that crew members experienced a boost of up to 54% in attentiveness plus a 34% rise in task performance post a 26-minute snooze (technically, this counted an initial six-minute sleep onset time). “My advice is setting a timer for 20-30 minutes – most people are asleep quickly,” notes a sleep expert. “There’s a lot of advice around regarding the optimal amount of minutes, but that tends to make people feel more anxious than anything else – and the least helpful action one can do when attempting to nod off is worry about it.”
Should you decide to sleep for longer, bypass the 45-60 minute window that promotes sleep inertia, that disoriented sensation when you wake. “Studies suggests it's more effective to opt for a lengthier snooze of one to one and a half hours than a medium-length one,” notes the expert. “Three-quarters of an hour is enough time to send you into a deep sleep stage making it more likely to feel groggy when you wake up – while if you extend it a little longer to a full sleep cycle, you’re likely to finish a full cycle and are likely to awaken feeling more refreshed. Though if you’re sleeping for an hour and a half, it will affect how you sleep that night.”
Establishing an Ideal Sleep Space
When it comes to precise methods, advice differs. Some experts suggest adopting comparable habits one would use to promote restful sleep: a silent space, a cozy bed and minimal light as is feasible. Others suggest that it's fine to merely snooze on the sofa in whatever light is present – to avoid sleep inertia and to preserve your bedroom as the space your mind associates with *real* sleep. “Napping is notoriously difficult to force,” notes a sleep coach. “Without any drowsiness, it is tougher to lie down and basically instruct yourself to fall asleep. You need some drive there to start the process initially. Personally, I can often nap in full light and awaken on my own without an alarm, however, what assists most folks is to wait for a time when they are naturally somewhat sleepy and calmly allow sleep to come.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and when you have few options – such as, if attempting to grab some shut-eye during a commute or at the office – there’s nothing wrong with bringing some accessories. “Coaching footballers, I advise that they avoid becoming accustomed to napping in bed, since they’re going to have|they will
