Hear a few productivity experts, making it tempting to believe that napping is a powerful tool: more than a sticking plaster after poor sleep, but a route towards a better memory, a brighter outlook and perhaps quicker running times. Elite athletes swear by it – and so are musicians, mixed martial artists & media moguls. Yet, when you don't have a room for napping or a job that allows regular snoozing, are there *really* enough benefits to a burst of shut-eye for it to be worth the effort? Does there exist a surefire technique to nod off promptly? Furthermore, can you truly ensure you’ll wake up feeling improved, instead of groggy?
Understanding The Reasons for Napping
“There are three key drivers for taking a nap in the adult population,” explains an expert sleep and circadian science researcher. “The first is known as compensatory napping, that is what you do when you’ve had poor sleep the previous night. The second is pre-emptive sleep, when you are preparing for a sleep deficit ahead, for example if you’re working on night shifts. The third reason is “pleasure-based sleep”, which simply is about wanting: you get an opportunity to doze in the afternoon, and it feels nice to indulge.”
The initial step to do, therefore, is to think about your reason for napping. “Napping can be genuinely useful when night sleeping gets interrupted due to causes you cannot change – for instance, when you are caring for an infant, or if you are healing from sickness or heavy physical exertion,” explains a sleep physiologist. “Yet when you nap since your night sleep seems unreliable or broken, that can be a sign your body's sleep pressure is not where it needs to be. In those cases, daytime sleep can turn into part of the issue, rather than the answer. Use napping as a short-term solution for temporary issues – the main goal ought to remain a strong and predictable overnight rest.”
The Optimal Snooze Time
Therefore that daytime sleep ought not to be sufficiently lengthy to affect your overnight rest, and preferably should not occur post-3 p.m. (depending on when you retire overnight). How long is sensible? Guidelines are mixed. From a prominent study regarding daytime sleep, space agency scientists discovered that space travelers showed up to a 54% increase in vigilance and a 34% increase in performance after a 26-minute nap (technically, this included a six-minute long nodding-off period). “I’d suggest setting a timer for half an hour or less – the majority doze off in under ten minutes,” says a sleep coach. “There is plenty of advice around about the ideal number of minutes, yet that often make people feel more worried above all – and the most counterproductive thing one can do when trying to get to sleep is to be anxious.”
Should you decide to nap for a longer period, steer clear of the period between 45 and 60 minutes that promotes that sluggish feeling, that spaced-out feeling when you wake. “Studies suggests it is preferable to take a lengthier snooze lasting 60-90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” notes the sleep scientist. “Three-quarters of an hour is sufficient to send you into deep sleep and you’re more likely to feel disoriented when you get up – whereas if you take it a bit longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you will probably to finish of a sleep cycle and are likely to get up feeling more alert. However, if you're dozing for a long period, it may impact how you sleep later that night.”
Establishing the Right Sleep Space
As for exact methodologies, advice differs. A few professionals propose employing similar routines you use to encourage quality nighttime sleep: a silent space, a cozy bed and maximum darkness as you can manage. Some advise that it's fine to just doze in a chair with ambient lighting happens to be around – both to discourage that groggy feeling and to “protect” your bed as the space your brain links with *real* sleep. “Sleep is notoriously difficult to force,” explains a specialist. “If you don’t have any drowsiness, it is tougher to lie down and basically command yourself to go to sleep. There must be some sleep pressure there to bring the sleep on in the first place. For me, it's possible to nap in broad daylight and wake up naturally without an alarm, however, what assists most folks is to anticipate a moment when they are naturally slightly tired and just gently ease into sleep.”
It’s worth experimenting, and when options are scarce – for instance, if you’re trying to squeeze in 40 winks on a train or at the office – it is perfectly fine to employ a few tools. “Coaching footballers, I advise that they don’t get used to their own bed for naps, as they’re going to have|they will
