Tune into a few self-improvement experts, and it’s tempting to believe that napping is a secret weapon: rather than a sticking plaster following a bad night’s sleep, but a path towards improved recall, better spirits and perhaps quicker running times. Premier League soccer players swear by it – along with professional piano players, mixed martial artists and high-profile executives. Yet, when you haven’t got a room for napping or a career that permits regular snoozing, can there *honestly* sufficient advantages to a quick nap to justify the hassle? Can you find a dependable method to nod off promptly? Plus, is it possible to really guarantee you’ll wake up feeling better, rather than worse?
Understanding Your Reasons for Napping
“Experts note three primary motivations for napping for many people,” explains a professor of sleep science professor. “Firstly, there's termed compensatory napping, that is what happens after experiencing poor sleep overnight. The second is preparatory napping, which involves anticipating sleep loss coming up, for instance during overnight shifts. The third is called “appetitive drive”, which basically boils down to the wish: there is a moment to nap in the afternoon, and it feels nice to nap.”
The primary task to consider, so, is to think about your reason for napping. “Naps can be genuinely useful when nighttime sleep is disturbed for reasons beyond your control – for example, if you’re caring for an infant, or you’re recovering from sickness or strenuous activity,” states a sleep physiologist. “Yet when you’re napping as your night sleep is unstable or broken, that can be a signal your sleep drive is not as strong as required. In those cases, daytime sleep can turn into part of the issue, instead of the fix. Employ naps as a short-term solution for short-term problems – the priority should still be a robust and regular overnight rest.”
The Perfect Nap Duration
This implies that napping ought not to be too extended to disrupt your sleep at night, and preferably should not occur post-3 p.m. (contingent on when you go to bed overnight). How long is sensible? Guidelines are mixed. In one of a prominent study on the subject, experts found that space travelers showed improvements of over 50% in attentiveness plus a 34% rise in cognitive performance following a nap of 26 minutes (in detail, this included a six-minute long sleep onset time). “I recommend setting an alarm for 20-30 minutes – many individuals are asleep within 10 minutes,” notes a sleep expert. “There is plenty of recommendations concerning the ideal number of minutes, however, that can lead individuals to become more worried than anything else – and the worst thing you can possibly do when attempting to get to sleep is to be anxious.”
If you plan to take an extended nap, steer clear of the 45-60 minute window that induces sleep inertia, that spaced-out feeling when you awaken. “Studies suggests it is preferable to take a lengthier snooze lasting 60-90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” explains the sleep scientist. “Three-quarters of an hour is long enough to put you into deep sleep and you’re more likely to feel sluggish when you wake up – while if you extend it a little longer to an hour or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to finish a full cycle and are likely to awaken feeling more refreshed. However, if you nap for 90 minutes, it will affect your sleep later that night.”
Establishing an Ideal Nap Environment
Regarding exact methodologies, advice differs. A few professionals propose using comparable habits you’d use to promote restful 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 the existing light is available – to prevent sleep inertia and to “protect” your bed as the environment you associate with nighttime rest. “Sleep is something really tricky to command,” notes a specialist. “If you don’t have any drowsiness, it becomes harder to lie down and essentially command yourself to nod off. You need some sleep pressure there to bring the sleep on initially. I can usually nap in full light and naturally wake up alarm-free, though, what aids most folks is to anticipate a moment that they’re naturally feeling a bit drowsy and then simply ease into sleep.”
It’s worth experimenting, and if your choices are limited – for instance, if attempting to squeeze in some shut-eye on a train or in a work pod – it is perfectly fine to use sleep aids. “In my work with elite athletes, I advise that they not rely on napping in bed, as they’re going to have|they will
