Listen to plenty of self-improvement gurus, and it’s tempting to convince yourself that dozing is a powerful tool: not just a quick fix after a bad night’s sleep, but a path to enhanced cognition, better spirits and maybe quicker running times. Premier League footballers swear by it – along with musicians, UFC champions and media moguls. But if you haven’t got a special sleep space or a career that encourages frequent naps, is it *truly* worthwhile perks to a burst of shut-eye to merit the kerfuffle? Is there a dependable method to fall asleep fast? Furthermore, can you really guarantee you’ll wake up feeling improved, not worse?
Identifying Your Nap Motivation
“We can identify three key drivers for napping among most adults,” explains a professor of sleep science researcher. “Firstly, there's what we call recovery napping, which is the action you take following a lack of sleep the night before. Secondly, there's pre-emptive sleep, when you are pre-empting a sleep deficit ahead, for example during overnight shifts. The third is called “hedonic napping”, which basically is about the wish: you get a moment to doze in the daytime, and it's enjoyable to do it.”
The initial step to do, therefore, is to examine why you want to nap. “Daytime sleep can be genuinely useful when night sleeping is being disrupted due to causes beyond your control – such as, when you are a new parent, or you’re recovering from illness or strenuous activity,” states a sleep physiologist. “However, if you take a nap as your nighttime sleep feels fragile or poor, that can be a signal your body's sleep pressure is not at the level required. In such situations, napping can become a contributing factor, instead of the fix. Utilize daytime sleep as a temporary measure for short-term problems – the priority ought to remain a strong and predictable sleep at night.”
The Ideal Nap Duration
This means that daytime sleep must not be sufficiently lengthy to interfere with your sleep at night, and best should not occur after about 3pm (depending on what time you go to bed at night). What duration is wise? Guidelines are mixed. In one of the most referenced research on the subject, researchers at Nasa discovered that astronauts had a boost of up to 54% in alertness and a 34% increase in task performance after a 26-minute nap (technically, this counted a six-minute nodding-off period). “My advice is setting a timer for half an hour or less – most people are asleep quickly,” notes a sleep expert. “There is plenty of guidance out there concerning the perfect length for sleeping, yet that often lead individuals to become more worried than anything else – and the most counterproductive thing one can do when attempting to get to sleep is to stress over it.”
Should you decide to sleep for longer, avoid the 45 to 60 minute range that induces that sluggish feeling, that spaced-out feeling when you wake. “Research suggests it’s better to opt for a longer nap of 60 to 90 minutes than a medium-length one,” says the professor. “Three-quarters of an hour is enough time to put you into slow-wave sleep and you’re more likely to feel disoriented when you wake up – whereas if you nap for slightly longer to a full sleep cycle, you will probably to be on the end of a sleep cycle and should get up feeling more refreshed. Though if you’re sleeping for 90 minutes, it will affect your sleep later that night.”
Creating the Right Nap Environment
As for specific techniques, advice differs. A few professionals propose adopting similar routines you’d use to encourage a good night’s sleep: a peaceful area, a cozy bed and maximum darkness as is feasible. Some advise that you should merely snooze on the sofa in the existing light happens to be around – both to discourage sleep inertia and to “protect” your sleeping quarters as the place you associate with proper sleep. “Napping is notoriously difficult to force,” explains a sleep coach. “Lacking any sleepiness, it becomes harder to lie down and basically tell yourself to go to sleep. There’s got to be some sleep pressure there to start the process to begin with. I can usually take a nap during the day and awaken on my own without a timer, but what helps most folks is to anticipate a moment where they feel naturally slightly tired and calmly allow sleep to come.”
It’s worth experimenting, and should options are scarce – for instance, when aiming to fit in 40 winks while traveling or in a soundproof office pod – it's acceptable to employ sleep aids. “In my work with elite athletes, I suggest that they don’t get used to their own bed for naps, since they’re going to have|they will
