Tune into enough productivity experts, making it easy to think that a nap is a powerful tool: rather than a quick fix following a bad night’s sleep, but a route to a better memory, improved mood and possibly a faster 5k run time. Premier League soccer players swear by it – as do professional piano players, mixed martial artists & business leaders. However, if you lack a special sleep space or a career that allows daytime sleep, is it *truly* enough benefits to a burst of shut-eye to justify the hassle? Does there exist a surefire technique to nod off promptly? And can you truly ensure you’ll wake up feeling refreshed, instead of groggy?
Identifying Your Nap Motivation
“Experts note three key drivers for daytime sleep in the adult population,” explains an expert circadian rhythm specialist. “Firstly, there's what we call compensatory napping, essentially what happens following insufficient sleep the previous night. Another is preparatory napping, when you are anticipating sleep loss in the future, for example when working overnight shifts. Finally, there's “hedonic napping”, which essentially comes down to wanting: you have a moment to nap in the daytime, and it's enjoyable to do it.”
The first thing to undertake, then, is consider your reason for napping. “Daytime sleep can be truly beneficial when night sleeping is disturbed because of factors beyond your control – for instance, if you’re caring for an infant, or recovering from illness or strenuous activity,” says a sleep expert. “But if you take a nap because your night sleep seems unreliable or broken, that is frequently a signal your body's sleep pressure is not as strong as required. Under those circumstances, naps can become part of the problem, instead of the fix. Utilize daytime sleep for brief periods for temporary issues – the main goal ought to remain a strong and predictable night’s sleep.”
The Optimal Nap Duration
Therefore that naps ought not to be sufficiently lengthy to affect your sleep at night, and best shouldn’t take place post-3 p.m. (depending on the time you retire overnight). How long is sensible? Guidelines are mixed. From a prominent study regarding daytime sleep, experts found that astronauts showed improvements of over 50% in vigilance and a 34% increase in task performance following a nap of 26 minutes (technically, this involved a six-minute sleep onset time). “I recommend using an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – the majority fall asleep quickly,” says a specialist. “There’s a lot of recommendations about the ideal number for sleeping, but that tends to make people feel more anxious above all – and the worst thing one can do while aiming to fall asleep is to stress over it.”
Should you decide to nap for a longer period, steer clear of the 45 to 60 minute range that promotes sleep grogginess, that disoriented sensation when you awaken. “Research suggests it's more effective to have a longer nap of 60 to 90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” notes the professor. “Forty-five minutes is enough time to put you into a deep sleep stage and it is more probable to feel sluggish upon awakening – while if you extend it a little longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you’re likely to finish a full cycle and will probably wake up feeling more rejuvenated. But if you’re sleeping for an hour and a half, it may impact how you sleep in the evening.”
Creating the Right Sleep Space
When it comes to specific techniques, advice differs. A few professionals suggest adopting the same protocol you’d use to encourage restful sleep: a peaceful area, a cozy bed and maximum darkness as possible. Some advise that it's fine to simply nap on the sofa in whatever light happens to be around – to prevent sleep inertia and to maintain your sleeping quarters as the space your mind associates with proper sleep. “Falling asleep is notoriously difficult to command,” says a sleep coach. “If you don’t have any drowsiness, it becomes harder to get comfortable and basically tell yourself to go to sleep. There’s got to be a natural inclination available to initiate sleep to begin with. I can usually nap during the day and awaken on my own without an alarm, but what helps most folks is to wait for a moment when they are naturally somewhat sleepy and just gently ease into sleep.”
Experimentation is key, and when options are scarce – for example, if you’re trying to grab 40 winks while traveling or in a work pod – it's acceptable to employ some accessories. “Coaching elite athletes, I advise that they not rely on sleeping in their bed, since they’re going to have|they will
