Hear enough performance experts, making it simple to believe that dozing is a superpower: more than a sticking plaster following poor sleep, but a path towards improved recall, better spirits and perhaps quicker running times. Professional soccer players are all at it – and so are musicians, UFC champions & media moguls. But if you don't have a dedicated nap-room or a job that permits regular snoozing, can there *honestly* sufficient advantages to a short sleep for it to be worth the kerfuffle? Does there exist a reliable way to fall asleep fast? Furthermore, can you truly ensure you will get up feeling improved, instead of groggy?
Exploring Your Nap Motivation
“Experts note three main reasons for daytime sleep among most adults,” says a leading sleep science professor. “The first is what we call recovery napping, essentially what you do when you’ve had poor sleep overnight. Secondly, there's pre-emptive sleep, where you are preparing for sleep loss in the future, for example when working overnight shifts. The third reason is “pleasure-based sleep”, which essentially boils down to desire: you get a moment to doze during the day, and it's enjoyable to nap.”
The primary task to consider, so, is consider your reason for napping. “Naps can be really helpful when night sleeping is disturbed due to causes beyond your control – such as, for a parent of a newborn, or you’re recovering from sickness or intense exercise,” says a sleep expert. “However, if you nap because your nighttime sleep seems unreliable or unreliable, that’s often an indicator your need for sleep is not at the level it should be. In those cases, naps can become part of the issue, not the solution. Employ naps as a short-term solution to address immediate needs – the main goal must always be a strong and predictable overnight rest.”
The Perfect Nap Length
Therefore that napping ought not to be too extended to interfere with your sleep at night, and ideally shouldn’t take place after about 3pm (based on the time you sleep in the evening). How long is sensible? Advice differs. In one of the most-cited studies on the subject, researchers at Nasa found that space travelers showed up to a 54% increase in alertness and a 34% increase in cognitive performance after a 26-minute nap (to be precise, this included a six-minute long falling asleep phase). “I recommend using an alarm for half an hour or less – most people doze off within 10 minutes,” explains a sleep coach. “There’s a lot of advice around regarding the optimal amount of minutes, yet that often lead individuals to become more stressed than anything else – and the most counterproductive thing you can possibly do when attempting to fall asleep is worry about it.”
If you’re going to sleep for longer, steer clear of the 45-60 minute window that induces sleep grogginess, that disoriented sensation when you awaken. “Studies would say it is preferable to take a lengthier snooze of 60 to 90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” says the sleep scientist. “Three-quarters of an hour is enough time to put you into slow-wave sleep making it more likely to feel groggy when you get up – however, if you take it slightly longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you’re likely to be on the end of a sleep cycle and will probably awaken feeling more alert. However, if you're dozing for an hour and a half, it will affect how you sleep later that night.”
Creating the Perfect Nap Environment
Regarding precise methods, suggestions are diverse. A few professionals recommend employing comparable habits you use to promote quality nighttime sleep: a peaceful area, a comfortable bed and maximum darkness as is feasible. Alternatively, experts propose that you should just doze on a couch in whatever light is available – to avoid post-nap grogginess and to preserve your bedroom as the environment your brain links with nighttime rest. “Sleep is something really tricky to force,” says a sleep coach. “If you don’t have any sleepiness, it is tougher to get comfortable and basically instruct yourself to nod off. There must be some drive available to initiate sleep initially. I can usually take a nap in full light and naturally wake up without an alarm, however, what assists many individuals is to anticipate a moment when they are naturally slightly tired and just gently ease into sleep.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and should options are scarce – for example, when aiming to grab 40 winks during a commute or in a work pod – there’s nothing wrong to employ a few tools. “In my work with footballers, I advise that they don’t get used to napping in bed, since they’re going to have|they will
