Tune into enough productivity gurus, and you'll be easy to think that dozing is a secret weapon: not just a sticking plaster after a bad night’s sleep, but a shortcut towards enhanced cognition, a brighter outlook and perhaps quicker running times. Professional soccer players swear by it – and so are concert pianists, UFC champions and high-profile executives. But if you haven’t got a room for napping or a job that encourages regular snoozing, can there *honestly* sufficient advantages to a quick nap for it to be worth the hassle? Can you find a dependable method to nod off promptly? Furthermore, can you honestly promise you will get up feeling better, instead of groggy?
Exploring The Nap Motivation
“Experts note three main reasons for napping for many people,” says a professor of sleep and circadian science professor. “The first is termed recovery napping, essentially what you do when you’ve had insufficient sleep the night before. The second is pre-emptive sleep, when you are preparing for sleep loss coming up, for instance if you’re working graveyard shifts. The third reason is “appetitive drive”, which basically boils down to desire: there is an opportunity to doze in the daytime, and it's enjoyable to nap.”
The primary task to consider, then, is to examine why you want to nap. “Daytime sleep can be truly beneficial when overnight rest is disturbed for reasons you cannot change – such as, for caring for an infant, or if you are healing from sickness or heavy physical exertion,” states a sleep physiologist. “However, if you take a nap because your nighttime sleep feels fragile or poor, that’s often an indicator your body's sleep pressure is not where it should be. Under those circumstances, daytime sleep can turn into part of the issue, instead of the fix. Use napping as a short-term solution for short-term problems – the main goal ought to remain a robust and regular night’s sleep.”
The Ideal Snooze Time
Therefore that napping must not be too extended to interfere with your overnight rest, and ideally are not recommended post-3 p.m. (contingent on the time you go to bed in the evening). How long is sensible? Recommendations vary. Among the most-cited studies about napping, space agency scientists discovered that space travelers experienced a boost of up to 54% in attentiveness plus a 34% rise in task performance following a nap of 26 minutes (technically, this involved an initial six-minute sleep onset time). “I’d suggest using an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – most people are asleep within 10 minutes,” notes a sleep expert. “There is plenty of recommendations regarding the perfect length for sleeping, however, that can cause people to feel more anxious above all – and the worst thing one can do when trying to fall asleep is to stress over it.”
Should you decide to nap for a longer period, bypass the 45 to 60 minute range that encourages that sluggish feeling, that spaced-out feeling when you wake. “The science suggests it is preferable to opt for a lengthier snooze of 60 to 90 minutes than a medium-length one,” says the professor. “45 minutes is long enough to send you into a deep sleep stage and it is more probable to feel disoriented when you get up – whereas if you extend it a bit longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you’re likely to be completing a full cycle and will probably get up feeling more refreshed. However, if you're dozing for a long period, it may impact the quality of your sleep in the evening.”
Finding the Right Sleep Space
When it comes to exact methodologies, advice differs. Certain specialists propose using the same protocol you’d use to encourage quality nighttime sleep: a peaceful area, a comfortable bed and minimal light as is feasible. Others suggest that it's fine to simply nap on the sofa in the existing light is present – to prevent sleep inertia and to maintain your bedroom as the place you associate with nighttime rest. “Sleep is quite challenging to will,” says a specialist. “Without any sleepiness, it becomes harder to lie down and essentially tell yourself to go to sleep. There must be some sleep pressure present to start the process to begin with. Personally, I can often take a nap in broad daylight and wake up naturally without a timer, but what helps many individuals is to anticipate a time that they’re naturally slightly tired and just gently allow sleep to come.”
Experimentation is key, and if your choices are limited – for instance, when aiming to squeeze in a quick nap during a commute or in a work pod – it's acceptable to employ a few tools. “When I’m working with professional sportspeople, I suggest that they avoid becoming accustomed to sleeping in their bed, because they’re going to have|they will
