Tune into a few performance gurus, and it’s tempting to think that a nap is a superpower: rather than a sticking plaster after a bad night’s sleep, but a path to improved recall, improved mood and perhaps improved athletic performance. Elite footballers swear by it – along with musicians, UFC champions & business leaders. However, if you haven’t got a special sleep space or a job that encourages frequent naps, is it *truly* enough benefits to a short sleep for it to be worth the effort? Can you find a dependable method to get to sleep quickly enough? Furthermore, can you truly ensure you will arise feeling refreshed, not worse?
Understanding The Nap Motivation
“There are three key drivers for taking a nap among most adults,” explains a leading sleep science specialist. “One is known as recovery napping, which is what you do after experiencing poor sleep the night before. Another is pre-emptive sleep, when you are pre-empting sleep loss in the future, such as when working graveyard shifts. Finally, there's “hedonic napping”, which basically is about the wish: you have an opportunity to sleep in the afternoon, and it's enjoyable to indulge.”
The initial step to undertake, then, is consider your reason for napping. “Napping can be genuinely useful when night sleeping gets interrupted for reasons you cannot change – such as, for a new parent, or recovering from sickness or intense exercise,” explains a sleep physiologist. “However, if you take a nap as your nighttime sleep seems unreliable or poor, that’s often a signal your need for sleep is not as strong as it needs to be. In such situations, daytime sleep can turn into part of the problem, not the solution. Utilize daytime sleep as a short-term solution for temporary issues – the focus should still be a solid and consistent overnight rest.”
The Optimal Nap Length
This means that naps must not be sufficiently lengthy to interfere with your overnight rest, and best shouldn’t take place post-3 p.m. (based on the time you sleep in the evening). What duration is wise? Recommendations vary. Among the most referenced research about napping, space agency scientists noted that crew members showed up to a 54% increase in attentiveness and a 34% boost in cognitive performance post a 26-minute snooze (in detail, this counted a six-minute long falling asleep phase). “I recommend setting a timer for 20-30 minutes – many individuals are asleep in under ten minutes,” explains a specialist. “There’s a lot of guidance out there regarding the perfect length of minutes, but that tends to make people feel more anxious above all – and the least helpful action you can do when trying to fall asleep is to stress over it.”
If you’re going to sleep for longer, avoid the period between 45 and 60 minutes that induces sleep grogginess, that disoriented sensation upon waking. “The science indicates it’s better to take a lengthier snooze lasting 60-90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” notes the sleep scientist. “45 minutes is long enough to put you into slow-wave sleep making it more likely to feel groggy upon awakening – whereas if you nap for a bit longer to a full sleep cycle, it's likely you'll to finish a full cycle and are likely to awaken feeling more refreshed. Though if you nap for 90 minutes, it will affect the quality of your sleep that night.”
Finding the Right Snooze Setting
Regarding specific techniques, advice differs. Some experts propose adopting comparable habits you’d use to encourage a good night’s sleep: a silent space, a supportive surface and as much darkness as possible. Others suggest that it's fine to merely snooze in a chair in the existing light is available – to prevent that groggy feeling and to maintain your bedroom as the space your mind associates with nighttime rest. “Falling asleep is quite challenging to command,” explains a sleep coach. “If you don’t have any sleepiness, it is tougher to get comfortable and practically command yourself to nod off. There must be some sleep pressure there to initiate sleep initially. Personally, I can often snooze during the day and wake up naturally alarm-free, however, what assists most folks is to look for a moment where they feel naturally somewhat sleepy and calmly ease into sleep.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and if you have few options – such as, when aiming to grab 40 winks on a train or at the office – there’s nothing wrong to use some accessories. “In my work with footballers, I suggest that they not rely on napping in bed, as they’re going to have|they will
