Tune into enough productivity gurus, making it tempting to convince yourself that a nap is a superpower: rather than a sticking plaster following restless night, but a shortcut towards enhanced cognition, a brighter outlook and maybe quicker running times. Professional footballers are all at it – as do professional piano players, mixed martial artists and media moguls. Yet, when you don't have a special sleep space or a career that allows frequent naps, can there *honestly* worthwhile perks to a burst of shut-eye for it to be worth the hassle? Is there a surefire technique to fall asleep fast? Plus, is it possible to honestly promise you will arise feeling better, instead of groggy?
Identifying Your Nap Motivation
“We can identify three main reasons for napping among most adults,” explains a professor of sleep and circadian science professor. “Firstly, there's what we call compensatory napping, which is what happens after experiencing insufficient sleep overnight. Secondly, there's prophylactic napping, which involves anticipating sleep loss coming up, for instance when working graveyard shifts. The third reason is “appetitive drive”, which basically comes down to the wish: you have a chance to doze in the daytime, and it's pleasant to do it.”
The initial step to consider, so, is to examine your nap motivation. “Napping can be truly beneficial when night sleeping is being disrupted because of factors outside your control – for instance, for caring for an infant, or you’re recovering from sickness or strenuous activity,” states a sleep expert. “However, if you nap since your nighttime sleep seems unreliable or unreliable, that is frequently a sign your need for sleep is not where it should be. Under those circumstances, napping can become a contributing factor, rather than the answer. Employ naps as a short-term solution for temporary issues – the focus must always be a strong and predictable sleep at night.”
The Optimal Nap Duration
This implies that napping must not be long enough to disrupt your overnight rest, and best should not occur post-3 p.m. (contingent on when you go to bed at night). What duration is wise? Recommendations vary. In one of the most-cited studies about napping, space agency scientists discovered that space travelers experienced a boost of up to 54% in attentiveness and a 34% boost in task performance following a nap of 26 minutes (technically, this included a six-minute long nodding-off period). “I’d suggest using an alarm for 20-30 minutes – many individuals doze off quickly,” explains a sleep expert. “There’s a lot of guidance out there regarding the perfect length of time, but that tends to cause people to feel more anxious above all – and the most counterproductive thing you can possibly do when attempting to get to sleep is to be anxious.”
If you’re going to take an extended nap, steer clear of the period between 45 and 60 minutes that induces that sluggish feeling, that disoriented sensation when you awaken. “The science suggests it's more effective to opt for a lengthier snooze of 60 to 90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” explains the professor. “Forty-five minutes is sufficient to send you into slow-wave sleep and it is more probable to feel disoriented when you get up – while if you take it a bit longer to an hour or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to be completing a full cycle and will probably awaken feeling more refreshed. However, if you’re sleeping for a long period, it will affect the quality of your sleep in the evening.”
Finding the Right Nap Environment
As for exact methodologies, recommendations vary. Some experts propose using similar routines you use to foster quality nighttime sleep: a peaceful area, a supportive surface and as much darkness as possible. Some advise that you should simply nap on a couch in whatever light is present – to prevent post-nap grogginess and to maintain your bed as the place your brain links with proper sleep. “Falling asleep is notoriously difficult to force,” notes a specialist. “If you don’t have any sleepiness, it is tougher to lie down and basically command yourself to go to sleep. You need some sleep pressure present to start the process to begin with. I can usually take a nap in broad daylight and awaken on my own without an alarm, however, what assists many individuals is to wait for a time that they’re naturally somewhat sleepy and then simply relax into it.”
Experimentation is key, and if you have few options – such as, when aiming to fit in a quick nap during a commute or in a soundproof office pod – it is perfectly fine with bringing some accessories. “In my work with footballers, I advise that they don’t get used to their own bed for naps, as they’re going to have|they will
