Listen to enough productivity gurus, and it’s easy to convince yourself that napping is a secret weapon: not just a band-aid after a bad night’s sleep, but a path towards improved recall, better spirits and possibly improved athletic performance. Elite soccer players do it regularly – and so are concert pianists, mixed martial artists & high-profile executives. Yet, when you don't have a room for napping or employment that permits daytime sleep, is it *truly* sufficient advantages to a burst of shut-eye to justify the hassle? Is there a dependable method to fall asleep fast? Plus, is it possible to really guarantee you will get up feeling better, instead of groggy?
Exploring Your Nap Motivation
“Experts note three key drivers for taking a nap for many people,” says an expert sleep and circadian science researcher. “Firstly, there's termed make-up sleep, that is what happens when you’ve had insufficient sleep the previous night. Secondly, there's preparatory napping, where you are preparing for sleep loss ahead, for example during on night shifts. The third reason is “hedonic napping”, which simply comes down to the wish: you get an opportunity to doze in the daytime, and it's pleasant to do it.”
The initial step to do, therefore, is to examine your nap motivation. “Napping can be really helpful when nighttime sleep is disturbed due to causes beyond your control – such as, for caring for an infant, or recovering from sickness or heavy physical exertion,” states a sleep specialist. “However, if you’re napping because your night sleep is unstable or unreliable, that is frequently a signal your need for sleep is not as strong as it should be. In such situations, naps can become part of the issue, rather than the answer. Use napping as a temporary measure for temporary issues – the priority ought to remain a solid and consistent overnight rest.”
The Ideal Nap Length
This implies that naps must not be too extended to disrupt your nighttime sleep, and preferably should not occur after about 3pm (based on when you go to bed at night). What's a reasonable length? Advice differs. Among the most referenced research on the subject, researchers at Nasa found that crew members showed improvements of over 50% in attentiveness and a 34% boost in cognitive performance post a 26-minute snooze (to be precise, this included an initial six-minute nodding-off period). “I’d suggest using an alarm for half an hour or less – many individuals fall asleep within 10 minutes,” notes a sleep expert. “There’s a lot of advice around regarding the optimal amount of minutes, but that tends to lead individuals to become more anxious than anything else – and the least helpful action you can do when attempting to get to sleep is to stress over it.”
Should you decide to take an extended nap, avoid the 45 to 60 minute range that induces sleep grogginess, that spaced-out feeling when you wake. “Research indicates it’s better to opt for a lengthier snooze of one to one and a half hours than a medium-length one,” notes the expert. “45 minutes is enough time to plunge you into a deep sleep stage and you’re more likely to feel sluggish upon awakening – however, if you nap for slightly longer to 60 or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to finish of a sleep cycle and will probably wake up feeling more refreshed. However, if you're dozing for a long period, it may impact your sleep in the evening.”
Establishing an Ideal Sleep Space
As for exact methodologies, advice differs. Some experts recommend using comparable habits you’d use to encourage a good night’s sleep: a peaceful area, a cozy bed and maximum darkness as you can manage. Alternatively, experts propose that it's fine to merely snooze in a chair in whatever light happens to be around – to prevent that groggy feeling and to maintain your sleeping quarters as the place your brain links with proper sleep. “Napping is notoriously difficult to force,” says a sleep coach. “Lacking any drowsiness, it is more challenging to recline and practically command yourself to go to sleep. You need a natural inclination there to start the process initially. I can usually take a nap during the day and naturally wake up without an alarm, however, what assists a lot of people is to look for an instance when they are naturally feeling a bit drowsy and calmly ease into sleep.”
Experimentation is key, and when you have few options – for instance, if attempting to grab a quick nap while traveling or in a soundproof office pod – it's acceptable to use a few tools. “When I’m working with elite athletes, I recommend that they not rely on their own bed for naps, as they’re going to have|they will
