Tune into plenty of productivity experts, making it simple to believe that dozing is a powerful tool: more than a quick fix following poor sleep, but a shortcut towards a better memory, better spirits and possibly a faster 5k run time. Elite athletes do it regularly – as do musicians, mixed martial artists and media moguls. Yet, when you haven’t got a room for napping or a job that allows daytime sleep, is it *truly* worthwhile perks to a quick nap for it to be worth the hassle? Is there a reliable way to nod off promptly? And can you really guarantee you’ll wake up feeling better, instead of groggy?
Exploring The Reasons for Napping
“There are three main reasons for taking a nap in the adult population,” says a professor of sleep science specialist. “Firstly, there's what we call recovery napping, that is what you do after experiencing a lack of sleep the previous night. Secondly, there's prophylactic napping, which involves anticipating insufficient sleep coming up, for instance during graveyard shifts. The third reason is “hedonic napping”, which essentially comes down to the wish: you get a chance to sleep during the day, and it feels nice to nap.”
The initial step to undertake, therefore, is to think about your nap motivation. “Napping can be genuinely useful when night sleeping gets interrupted because of factors beyond your control – for example, if you’re caring for an infant, or if you are healing after being ill or strenuous activity,” explains a sleep physiologist. “However, if you’re napping because your sleep at night is unstable or poor, that’s often a signal your sleep drive is not at the level it should be. In those cases, daytime sleep can turn into part of the problem, instead of the fix. Use napping for brief periods for temporary issues – the focus should still be a robust and regular night’s sleep.”
The Ideal Snooze Time
This means that daytime sleep must not be long enough to affect your sleep at night, and best shouldn’t take place in the late afternoon (contingent on the time you sleep overnight). What's a reasonable length? Advice differs. From the most referenced research about napping, space agency scientists discovered that space travelers experienced a boost of up to 54% in vigilance plus a 34% rise in cognitive performance following a nap of 26 minutes (technically, this included a six-minute long nodding-off period). “My advice is setting an alarm for half an hour or less – most people are asleep in under ten minutes,” explains a sleep coach. “There is plenty of recommendations regarding the perfect length of minutes, however, that can lead individuals to become more worried than anything – and the least helpful action you can possibly do when attempting to fall asleep is to stress over it.”
Should you decide to sleep for longer, bypass the 45 to 60 minute range that promotes sleep inertia, that foggy state when you wake. “The science indicates it's more effective to have a lengthier snooze of 60 to 90 minutes than a medium-length one,” explains the professor. “Forty-five minutes is enough time to plunge you into a deep sleep stage and it is more probable to feel disoriented upon awakening – whereas if you extend it slightly longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you’re likely to finish of a sleep cycle and are likely to get up feeling more rejuvenated. But if you're dozing for a long period, it will affect the quality of your sleep that night.”
Finding the Right Nap Environment
When it comes to precise methods, advice differs. Certain specialists suggest adopting the same protocol you’d use to foster quality nighttime sleep: a silent space, a comfortable bed and as much darkness as is feasible. Some advise that you should simply nap on the sofa with ambient lighting happens to be around – to avoid sleep inertia and to “protect” your bedroom as the environment your mind associates with proper sleep. “Napping is quite challenging to force,” notes an expert. “If you don’t have any sleepiness, it is tougher to lie down and practically instruct yourself to nod off. You need some drive there to start the process initially. Personally, I can often snooze in full light and naturally wake up alarm-free, though, what aids many individuals is to look for an instance that they’re naturally somewhat sleepy and then simply ease into sleep.”
It’s worth experimenting, and if you have few options – such as, if attempting to squeeze in some shut-eye during a commute or in a soundproof office pod – it's acceptable with bringing some accessories. “Coaching professional sportspeople, I advise that they not rely on sleeping in their bed, since they’re going to have|they will
