Listen to enough performance gurus, and it’s simple to think that napping is a powerful tool: not just a sticking plaster after restless night, but a route towards a better memory, improved mood and perhaps quicker running times. Premier League footballers do it regularly – as do concert pianists, UFC champions & high-profile executives. However, if you lack a special sleep space or a career that permits regular snoozing, are there *really* worthwhile perks to a burst of shut-eye to justify the kerfuffle? Does there exist a reliable way to fall asleep fast? And can you truly ensure you will get up feeling improved, rather than worse?
Understanding Your Drive to Snooze
“Experts note three key drivers for taking a nap among most adults,” explains an expert sleep science researcher. “One is termed compensatory napping, which is the action you take following poor sleep the night before. The second is pre-emptive sleep, which involves pre-empting insufficient sleep coming up, for instance during on night shifts. Finally, there's “appetitive drive”, which basically comes down to wanting: you get a chance to sleep in the afternoon, and it feels nice to nap.”
The initial step to consider, so, is to think about your nap motivation. “Naps can be genuinely useful when nighttime sleep is disturbed for reasons outside your control – for instance, if you’re a new parent, or if you are healing after being ill or strenuous activity,” explains a sleep specialist. “But if you take a nap because your night sleep feels fragile or poor, that is frequently a signal your body's sleep pressure is not at the level it should be. In such situations, daytime sleep can turn into a contributing factor, instead of the fix. Utilize daytime sleep for brief periods for short-term problems – the priority must always be a strong and predictable sleep at night.”
The Optimal Snooze Time
This means that daytime sleep shouldn’t be too extended to affect your sleep at night, and best should not occur after about 3pm (depending on the time you sleep overnight). What duration is wise? Recommendations vary. From a prominent study regarding daytime sleep, experts found that space travelers showed up to a 54% increase in vigilance and a 34% increase in task performance after a 26-minute nap (to be precise, this included a six-minute long sleep onset time). “I’d suggest setting a timer for 20-30 minutes – the majority fall asleep in under ten minutes,” says a specialist. “You'll find much advice around concerning the ideal number of minutes, yet that often make people feel more anxious above all – and the least helpful action you can possibly do when attempting to get to sleep is worry about it.”
If you plan to nap for a longer period, bypass the 45 to 60 minute range that promotes sleep grogginess, that foggy state when you awaken. “Research suggests it’s better to take a lengthier snooze lasting 60-90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” notes the sleep scientist. “Forty-five minutes is sufficient to plunge you into slow-wave sleep and you’re more likely to feel disoriented when you wake up – whereas if you nap for a bit longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you’re likely to be completing a natural sleep cycle and are likely to wake up feeling more alert. Though if you’re sleeping for an hour and a half, it may impact how you sleep later that night.”
Finding the Right Nap Environment
As for specific techniques, advice differs. A few professionals propose employing similar routines you’d use to encourage restful sleep: a peaceful area, a supportive surface and maximum darkness as you can manage. Others suggest that you should simply nap on a couch with ambient lighting is available – to prevent post-nap grogginess and to preserve your bedroom as the space your brain links with *real* sleep. “Napping is notoriously difficult to command,” explains a specialist. “If you don’t have any sleepiness, it is tougher to recline and essentially command yourself to nod off. There must be some sleep pressure available to start the process to begin with. For me, it's possible to snooze in broad daylight and awaken on my own without an alarm, though, what aids many individuals is to wait for a moment where they feel naturally slightly tired and calmly allow sleep to come.”
It’s worth experimenting, and should your choices are limited – for example, if attempting to fit in a quick nap while traveling or in a soundproof office pod – there’s nothing wrong to use sleep aids. “When I’m working with footballers, I advise that they don’t get used to sleeping in their bed, since they’re going to have|they will
