Hear a few productivity podcasters, and you'll be simple to believe that napping is a secret weapon: more than a band-aid following a bad night’s sleep, but a shortcut towards enhanced cognition, improved mood and perhaps improved athletic performance. Premier League footballers swear by it – as do professional piano players, mixed martial artists and business leaders. However, if you lack a dedicated nap-room or employment that encourages frequent naps, is it *truly* sufficient advantages to a quick nap to justify the effort? Does there exist a reliable way to get to sleep quickly enough? Furthermore, can you honestly promise you’ll wake up feeling refreshed, rather than worse?
Exploring Your Nap Motivation
“We can identify three main reasons for napping for many people,” notes a professor of sleep science professor. “The first is what we call make-up sleep, essentially what happens after experiencing insufficient sleep overnight. The second is pre-emptive sleep, when you are anticipating insufficient sleep ahead, for example if you’re working overnight shifts. Finally, there's “hedonic napping”, which essentially is about desire: you get a chance to nap during the day, and it feels nice to do it.”
The primary task to do, therefore, is to think about your nap motivation. “Napping can be truly beneficial when overnight rest is being disrupted for reasons beyond your control – for instance, when you are caring for an infant, or recovering from sickness or heavy physical exertion,” says a sleep expert. “But if you nap as your nighttime sleep is unstable or poor, that can be an indicator your body's sleep pressure is not as strong as required. Under those circumstances, napping can become part of the problem, instead of the fix. Utilize daytime sleep as a temporary measure for temporary issues – the main goal should still be a strong and predictable night’s sleep.”
The Perfect Snooze Time
This means that daytime sleep shouldn’t be too extended to interfere with your nighttime sleep, and ideally are not recommended post-3 p.m. (contingent on what time you retire in the evening). How long is sensible? Advice differs. In one of the most referenced research about napping, space agency scientists discovered that astronauts showed up to a 54% increase in alertness plus a 34% rise in cognitive performance after a 26-minute nap (to be precise, this included an initial six-minute nodding-off period). “I’d suggest using an alarm for 20-30 minutes – many individuals are asleep quickly,” explains a sleep coach. “There’s a lot of guidance out there about the perfect length of time, yet that often lead individuals to become more stressed above all – and the most counterproductive thing one can do when trying to fall asleep is worry about it.”
Should you decide to take an extended nap, avoid the period between 45 and 60 minutes that promotes sleep grogginess, that spaced-out feeling when you wake. “Research suggests it's more effective to take a longer nap lasting 60-90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” notes the professor. “45 minutes is sufficient to send you into a deep sleep stage making it more likely to feel groggy upon awakening – whereas if you nap for slightly longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you’re likely to be completing a full cycle and will probably awaken feeling more rejuvenated. Though if you're dozing for a long period, it can influence how you sleep in the evening.”
Establishing an Ideal Sleep Space
When it comes to exact methodologies, recommendations vary. Certain specialists propose adopting comparable habits you use to foster a good night’s sleep: a quiet room, a supportive surface and maximum darkness as possible. Others suggest that you should simply nap on the sofa with ambient lighting happens to be around – both to discourage that groggy feeling and to maintain your sleeping quarters as the place your brain links with *real* sleep. “Napping is something really tricky to force,” notes a specialist. “Without any sleepiness, it is tougher to get comfortable and basically instruct yourself to nod off. There’s got to be some sleep pressure available to start the process initially. I can usually take a nap in broad daylight and awaken on my own alarm-free, however, what assists most folks is to look for a moment where they feel naturally feeling a bit drowsy and then simply allow sleep to come.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and when you have few options – such as, if attempting to grab a quick nap while traveling or at the office – it's acceptable to use some accessories. “When I’m working with elite athletes, I advise that they not rely on napping in bed, since they’re going to have|they will
