Tune into plenty of performance experts, and it’s tempting to convince yourself that napping is a secret weapon: rather than a band-aid following restless night, but a shortcut to a better memory, a brighter outlook and maybe improved athletic performance. Premier League soccer players do it regularly – and so are professional piano players, mixed martial artists & business leaders. But if you don't have a room for napping or employment that encourages daytime sleep, can there *honestly* sufficient advantages to a quick nap for it to be worth the hassle? Does there exist a reliable way to nod off promptly? Furthermore, can you really guarantee you will arise feeling refreshed, not worse?
Exploring Your Reasons for Napping
“Experts note three main reasons for napping among most adults,” explains an expert sleep science professor. “One is known as compensatory napping, which is what you do after experiencing poor sleep the night before. Secondly, there's prophylactic napping, which involves preparing for insufficient sleep ahead, for instance during overnight shifts. The third reason is “appetitive drive”, which essentially boils down to desire: you have a chance to doze during the day, and it's pleasant to indulge.”
The primary task to do, therefore, is to examine your nap motivation. “Daytime sleep can be truly beneficial when nighttime sleep is disturbed because of factors outside your control – such as, if you’re caring for an infant, or recovering from illness or intense exercise,” says a sleep specialist. “However, if you take a nap since your nighttime sleep seems unreliable or broken, that’s often a sign your sleep drive is not as strong as it should be. Under those circumstances, naps can become part of the issue, not the solution. Use napping as a short-term solution to address immediate needs – the focus ought to remain a solid and consistent night’s sleep.”
The Perfect Nap Length
This means that daytime sleep shouldn’t be sufficiently lengthy to disrupt your nighttime sleep, and ideally are not recommended post-3 p.m. (depending on when you go to bed at night). What's a reasonable length? Guidelines are mixed. Among the most-cited studies regarding daytime sleep, researchers at Nasa noted that crew members showed up to a 54% increase in alertness and a 34% increase in task performance following a nap of 26 minutes (technically, this included an initial six-minute falling asleep phase). “I’d suggest setting an alarm for half an hour or less – the majority are asleep quickly,” says a sleep expert. “You'll find much advice around regarding the optimal amount of minutes, however, that can cause people to feel more anxious above all – and the most counterproductive thing you can possibly do while aiming to fall asleep is worry about it.”
If you plan to take an extended nap, bypass the period between 45 and 60 minutes that induces sleep inertia, that disoriented sensation upon waking. “Research suggests it's more effective to take an extended nap lasting 60-90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” explains the professor. “45 minutes is enough time to plunge you into a deep sleep stage and it is more probable to feel sluggish when you wake up – however, if you take it slightly longer to a full sleep cycle, you’re likely to finish a natural sleep cycle and are likely to wake up feeling more refreshed. However, if you're dozing for a long period, it can influence the quality of your sleep that night.”
Finding the Perfect Sleep Space
As for precise methods, advice differs. Some experts propose employing the same protocol you’d use to promote restful sleep: a peaceful area, a cozy bed and minimal light as is feasible. Alternatively, experts propose that one could just doze in a chair with ambient lighting happens to be around – both to discourage that groggy feeling and to maintain your bed as the environment your mind associates with nighttime rest. “Napping is notoriously difficult to force,” explains an expert. “Lacking any drowsiness, it is more challenging to recline and basically tell yourself to go to sleep. You need a natural inclination there to initiate sleep to begin with. I can usually snooze in broad daylight and awaken on my own alarm-free, but what helps a lot of people is to wait for an instance when they are naturally somewhat sleepy and then simply relax into it.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and should options are scarce – for instance, when aiming to fit in some shut-eye while traveling or at the office – it's acceptable with bringing sleep aids. “When I’m working with footballers, I suggest that they not rely on napping in bed, because they’re going to have|they will
