Listen to a few performance podcasters, and you'll be easy to believe that a nap is a superpower: more than a sticking plaster after a bad night’s sleep, but a shortcut to improved recall, improved mood and maybe improved athletic performance. Premier League soccer players do it regularly – along with musicians, UFC champions & media moguls. However, if you lack a room for napping or a career that permits daytime sleep, are there *really* enough benefits to a short sleep to merit the hassle? Is there a dependable method to fall asleep fast? Plus, is it possible to truly ensure you will get up feeling better, not worse?
Exploring The Reasons for Napping
“Experts note three main reasons for daytime sleep among most adults,” says a professor of circadian rhythm professor. “Firstly, there's termed make-up sleep, essentially what you do after experiencing a lack of sleep the previous night. Secondly, there's prophylactic napping, which involves preparing for a sleep deficit ahead, such as if you’re working overnight shifts. The third is called “pleasure-based sleep”, which basically boils down to wanting: you have an opportunity to doze in the daytime, and it's pleasant to do it.”
The primary task to undertake, so, is to think about your nap motivation. “Naps can be genuinely useful when nighttime sleep gets interrupted because of factors outside your control – such as, if you’re a parent of a newborn, or if you are healing from sickness or heavy physical exertion,” says a sleep physiologist. “But if you take a nap as your nighttime sleep feels fragile or poor, that can be a sign your body's sleep pressure is not where required. Under those circumstances, naps can become a contributing factor, not the solution. Employ naps as a short-term solution for temporary issues – the focus must always be a robust and regular sleep at night.”
The Optimal Nap Duration
Therefore that naps ought not to be sufficiently lengthy to disrupt your overnight rest, and best should not occur post-3 p.m. (depending on what time you go to bed at night). What's a reasonable length? Recommendations vary. From a prominent study on the subject, space agency scientists found that astronauts experienced a boost of up to 54% in attentiveness plus a 34% rise in cognitive performance after a 26-minute nap (technically, this counted a six-minute long falling asleep phase). “My advice is setting a timer for 20 to 30 minutes – many individuals fall asleep within 10 minutes,” notes a sleep coach. “There is plenty of guidance out there regarding the optimal amount for sleeping, but that tends to lead individuals to become more stressed above all – and the least helpful action you can possibly do when attempting to nod off is to be anxious.”
Should you decide to nap for a longer period, bypass the period between 45 and 60 minutes that induces sleep inertia, that spaced-out feeling when you awaken. “Studies indicates it is preferable to opt for an extended nap lasting 60-90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” explains the expert. “Three-quarters of an hour is enough time to plunge you into a deep sleep stage and you’re more likely to feel disoriented upon awakening – however, if you take it slightly longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you’re likely to be on the end a natural sleep cycle and are likely to wake up feeling more rejuvenated. However, if you’re sleeping for an hour and a half, it may impact how you sleep later that night.”
Creating an Ideal Nap Environment
Regarding exact methodologies, suggestions are diverse. A few professionals propose using similar routines you’d use to foster a good night’s sleep: a peaceful area, a cozy bed and maximum darkness as is feasible. Some advise that one could just doze in a chair with ambient lighting happens to be around – to prevent post-nap grogginess and to preserve your bedroom as the place your brain links with nighttime rest. “Falling asleep is notoriously difficult to command,” explains a sleep coach. “Lacking any drowsiness, it becomes harder to lie down and basically tell yourself to fall asleep. There’s got to be some drive available to start the process in the first place. I can usually snooze in broad daylight and wake up naturally alarm-free, but what helps most folks is to wait for an instance where they feel naturally somewhat sleepy and just gently ease into sleep.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and if options are scarce – for example, if attempting to fit in some shut-eye during a commute or in a soundproof office pod – it is perfectly fine to use some accessories. “Coaching elite athletes, I recommend that they avoid becoming accustomed to their own bed for naps, since they’re going to have|they will
