Tune into plenty of self-improvement podcasters, making it easy to convince yourself that napping is a powerful tool: not just a sticking plaster following poor sleep, but a route to enhanced cognition, improved mood and maybe quicker running times. Premier League soccer players are all at it – as do concert pianists, UFC champions & media moguls. Yet, when you lack a special sleep space or a job that encourages daytime sleep, are there *really* worthwhile perks to a burst of shut-eye to justify the effort? Is there a dependable method to get to sleep quickly enough? Furthermore, can you honestly promise you will arise feeling refreshed, instead of groggy?
Exploring The Drive to Snooze
“There are three key drivers for daytime sleep in the adult population,” notes a leading circadian rhythm researcher. “The first is what we call compensatory napping, essentially what you do after experiencing a lack of sleep overnight. Another is preparatory napping, when you are preparing for a sleep deficit coming up, such as if you’re working on night shifts. The third is called “appetitive drive”, which essentially boils down to the wish: you have an opportunity to sleep in the afternoon, and it feels nice to indulge.”
The initial step to consider, so, is to examine your reason for napping. “Naps can be truly beneficial when nighttime sleep gets interrupted because of factors beyond your control – for instance, when you are a parent of a newborn, or you’re recovering from illness or strenuous activity,” explains a sleep specialist. “Yet when you nap since your nighttime sleep is unstable or broken, that can be a sign your body's sleep pressure is not as strong as it should be. Under those circumstances, napping can become part of the problem, rather than the answer. Use napping as a temporary measure to address immediate needs – the main goal must always be a solid and consistent overnight rest.”
The Perfect Snooze Time
This implies that naps shouldn’t be sufficiently lengthy to affect your sleep at night, and preferably shouldn’t take place post-3 p.m. (contingent on when you sleep overnight). What duration is wise? Recommendations vary. Among a prominent study regarding daytime sleep, space agency scientists found that astronauts experienced a boost of up to 54% in vigilance plus a 34% rise in performance after a 26-minute nap (to be precise, this involved a six-minute nodding-off period). “My advice is setting an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – many individuals fall asleep in under ten minutes,” notes a specialist. “There’s a lot of guidance out there concerning the optimal amount of time, however, that can make people feel more stressed than anything else – and the least helpful action one can do when attempting to get to sleep 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 wake. “Research would say it is preferable to take a longer nap of one to one and a half hours compared to a medium-length nap,” notes the sleep scientist. “Forty-five minutes is sufficient to put you into slow-wave sleep and you’re more likely to feel disoriented upon awakening – however, if you take it slightly longer to a full sleep cycle, you will probably to finish of a sleep cycle and will probably get up feeling more alert. Though if you’re sleeping for a long period, it may impact your sleep that night.”
Creating an Ideal Nap Environment
When it comes to specific techniques, suggestions are diverse. A few professionals suggest using comparable habits one would use to promote restful sleep: a peaceful area, a supportive surface and as much darkness as possible. Some advise that one could simply nap on a couch in whatever light happens to be around – to avoid post-nap grogginess and to “protect” your sleeping quarters as the place you associate with *real* sleep. “Napping is notoriously difficult to will,” explains an expert. “If you don’t have any drowsiness, it is more challenging to get comfortable and practically instruct yourself to nod off. There must be a natural inclination there to initiate sleep in the first place. I can usually take a nap during the day and naturally wake up alarm-free, though, what aids many individuals is to look for a time when they are naturally somewhat sleepy and then simply allow sleep to come.”
It’s worth experimenting, and when you have few options – such as, if attempting to squeeze in some shut-eye on a train or at the office – it is perfectly fine with bringing sleep aids. “When I’m working with elite athletes, I suggest that they not rely on sleeping in their bed, as they’re going to have|they will
