Tune into enough performance gurus, and it’s simple to think that a nap is a superpower: not just a sticking plaster following a bad night’s sleep, but a shortcut towards improved recall, better spirits and perhaps improved athletic performance. Elite athletes are all at it – as do professional piano players, UFC champions & high-profile executives. Yet, when you lack a special sleep space or a career that allows regular snoozing, are there *really* enough benefits to a short sleep to justify the hassle? Is there a reliable way to nod off promptly? Plus, is it possible to really guarantee you will get up feeling better, rather than worse?
Understanding Your Nap Motivation
“Experts note three key drivers for daytime sleep among most adults,” explains a professor of sleep and circadian science specialist. “The first is what we call recovery napping, essentially the action you take after experiencing a lack of sleep the night before. Secondly, there's preparatory napping, where you are preparing for insufficient sleep coming up, such as if you’re working on night shifts. Finally, there's “hedonic napping”, which basically boils down to the wish: you have a moment to sleep in the afternoon, and it's pleasant to indulge.”
The initial step to consider, so, is to think about your nap motivation. “Napping can be genuinely useful when overnight rest is being disrupted for reasons you cannot change – such as, if you’re caring for an infant, or recovering from sickness or strenuous activity,” states a sleep expert. “But if you’re napping since your nighttime sleep is unstable or unreliable, that can be an indicator your need for sleep is not as strong as it needs to be. Under those circumstances, naps can become part of the problem, rather than the answer. Use napping as a short-term solution for temporary issues – the main goal must always be a strong and predictable overnight rest.”
The Ideal Nap Duration
This implies that naps ought not to be long enough to interfere with your sleep at night, and ideally are not recommended after about 3pm (depending on the time you go to bed overnight). How long is sensible? Recommendations vary. In one of the most referenced research about napping, researchers at Nasa found that crew members had up to a 54% increase in vigilance plus a 34% rise in cognitive performance post a 26-minute snooze (to be precise, this counted a six-minute falling asleep phase). “I’d suggest setting an alarm for 20-30 minutes – the majority are asleep quickly,” explains a sleep coach. “There is plenty of advice around about the ideal number of time, however, that can lead individuals to become more anxious than anything else – and the least helpful action you can do when attempting to get to sleep is to be anxious.”
If you’re going to take an extended nap, avoid the period between 45 and 60 minutes that induces sleep grogginess, that disoriented sensation upon waking. “The science would say it's more effective to have a longer nap of one to one and a half hours than a medium-length one,” notes the expert. “Forty-five minutes is enough time to put you into slow-wave sleep and you’re more likely to feel groggy upon awakening – whereas if you extend it a little longer to a full sleep cycle, you will probably to finish of a sleep cycle and should awaken feeling more refreshed. Though if you nap for a long period, it may impact the quality of your sleep later that night.”
Establishing the Perfect Nap Environment
As for precise methods, recommendations vary. A few professionals suggest employing similar routines you use to promote restful sleep: a quiet room, a cozy bed and maximum darkness as is feasible. Alternatively, experts propose that it's fine to just doze in a chair in whatever light happens to be around – to avoid that groggy feeling and to maintain your bedroom as the environment your mind associates with nighttime rest. “Falling asleep is notoriously difficult to command,” says an expert. “Without any drowsiness, it is tougher to get comfortable and practically command yourself to nod off. There’s got to be a natural inclination present to start the process initially. For me, it's possible to snooze in full light and naturally wake up alarm-free, but what helps many individuals is to wait for a time when they are naturally somewhat sleepy and calmly allow sleep to come.”
Experimentation is key, and when options are scarce – for example, when aiming to grab some shut-eye on a train or in a work pod – it is perfectly fine to employ a few tools. “When I’m working with elite athletes, I suggest that they not rely on sleeping in their bed, because they’re going to have|they will
