Tune into enough productivity experts, and you'll be easy to believe that napping is a secret weapon: more than a quick fix following poor sleep, but a path to improved recall, improved mood and possibly improved athletic performance. Premier League soccer players do it regularly – as do musicians, fighters & media moguls. But if you lack a room for napping or a job that allows frequent naps, is it *truly* sufficient advantages to a burst of shut-eye to merit the kerfuffle? Is there a dependable method to nod off promptly? And can you honestly promise you will arise feeling better, rather than worse?
Understanding The Drive to Snooze
“Experts note three main reasons for taking a nap in the adult population,” says a professor of circadian rhythm specialist. “The first is what we call recovery napping, essentially what you do after experiencing insufficient sleep the night before. Secondly, there's prophylactic napping, when you are anticipating sleep loss ahead, such as when working overnight shifts. The third is called “hedonic napping”, which simply boils down to wanting: there is a chance to sleep in the daytime, and it's enjoyable to nap.”
The primary task to do, so, is consider your reason for napping. “Napping can be really helpful when night sleeping gets interrupted for reasons you cannot change – for instance, for a new parent, or if you are healing from sickness or heavy physical exertion,” says a sleep physiologist. “Yet when you nap as your sleep at night seems unreliable or poor, that is frequently an indicator your sleep drive is not as strong as it should be. Under those circumstances, daytime sleep can turn into part of the issue, instead of the fix. Utilize daytime sleep as a temporary measure for temporary issues – the priority should still be a robust and regular night’s sleep.”
The Optimal Snooze Time
This implies that naps shouldn’t be long enough to disrupt your nighttime sleep, and best should not occur in the late afternoon (based on the time you go to bed at night). How long is sensible? Advice differs. In one of a prominent study on the subject, researchers at Nasa discovered that crew members experienced up to a 54% increase in attentiveness and a 34% boost in cognitive performance after a 26-minute nap (to be precise, this counted a six-minute falling asleep phase). “I recommend using an alarm for half an hour or less – the majority are asleep within 10 minutes,” explains a sleep expert. “There’s a lot of advice around concerning the ideal number for sleeping, however, that can cause people to feel more worried above all – and the least helpful action you can do when attempting to get to sleep is worry about it.”
If you plan to sleep for longer, bypass the 45 to 60 minute range that induces sleep grogginess, that foggy state upon waking. “The science would say it's more effective to have a lengthier snooze lasting 60-90 minutes than a medium-length one,” notes the professor. “Three-quarters of an hour is sufficient to put you into slow-wave sleep and it is more probable to feel disoriented when you get up – however, if you extend it a little longer to an hour or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to be on the end a full cycle and are likely to wake up feeling more rejuvenated. Though if you nap for 90 minutes, it can influence how you sleep that night.”
Finding the Right Snooze Setting
As for specific techniques, advice differs. Certain specialists suggest employing similar routines you’d use to promote a good night’s sleep: a peaceful area, a comfortable bed and minimal light as you can manage. Others suggest that you should merely snooze on a couch in whatever light is present – to prevent that groggy feeling and to maintain your bed as the space your brain links with proper sleep. “Napping is something really tricky to command,” notes a specialist. “Lacking any drowsiness, it becomes harder to lie down and essentially tell yourself to nod off. There must be some drive present to start the process initially. For me, it's possible to nap in full light and wake up naturally without a timer, however, what assists most folks is to wait for a moment that they’re naturally somewhat sleepy and just gently relax into it.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and should you have few options – for instance, when aiming to squeeze in some shut-eye during a commute or at the office – it's acceptable to use sleep aids. “In my work with footballers, I suggest that they not rely on napping in bed, because they’re going to have|they will
