Tune into enough performance podcasters, making it easy to think that a nap is a superpower: not just a quick fix after poor sleep, but a path to enhanced cognition, a brighter outlook and possibly improved athletic performance. Professional soccer players are all at it – as do concert pianists, mixed martial artists and high-profile executives. However, if you lack a dedicated nap-room or a job that encourages regular snoozing, is it *truly* sufficient advantages to a short sleep to merit the hassle? Does there exist a surefire technique to fall asleep fast? Plus, is it possible to honestly promise you’ll wake up feeling refreshed, rather than worse?
Exploring The Nap Motivation
“Experts note three primary motivations for napping for many people,” explains a leading sleep and circadian science professor. “Firstly, there's termed recovery napping, which is the action you take when you’ve had poor sleep the previous night. The second is prophylactic napping, where you are preparing for sleep loss coming up, for example if you’re working on night shifts. Finally, there's “pleasure-based sleep”, which basically is about desire: there is a chance to sleep in the daytime, and it's pleasant to indulge.”
The primary task to undertake, so, is consider why you want to nap. “Napping can be really helpful when overnight rest is disturbed for reasons outside your control – such as, if you’re a new parent, or if you are healing from sickness or strenuous activity,” says a sleep expert. “But if you’re napping since your night sleep seems unreliable or broken, that’s often a sign your need for sleep is not where required. In such situations, daytime sleep can turn into a contributing factor, rather than the answer. Employ naps as a short-term solution for temporary issues – the main goal should still be a robust and regular overnight rest.”
The Ideal Snooze Time
This implies that daytime sleep must not be sufficiently lengthy to affect your overnight rest, and ideally are not recommended after about 3pm (based on when you sleep in the evening). How long is sensible? Advice differs. Among the most-cited studies regarding daytime sleep, experts found that crew members experienced improvements of over 50% in attentiveness and a 34% boost in cognitive performance following a nap of 26 minutes (technically, this included an initial six-minute nodding-off period). “I recommend using an alarm for half an hour or less – many individuals are asleep quickly,” says a specialist. “You'll find much recommendations concerning the optimal amount of minutes, yet that often cause people to feel more anxious than anything – and the least helpful action you can possibly do when trying to nod off is to be anxious.”
If you plan to sleep for longer, steer clear of the 45 to 60 minute range that induces sleep grogginess, that disoriented sensation upon waking. “Research suggests it's more effective to opt for an extended nap of one to one and a half hours compared to a medium-length nap,” explains the professor. “45 minutes is enough time to put you into slow-wave sleep and you’re more likely to feel groggy when you wake up – while if you extend it slightly longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you will probably to be on the end a full cycle and will probably get up feeling more rejuvenated. But if you nap for an hour and a half, it can influence how you sleep that night.”
Finding an Ideal Sleep Space
When it comes to exact methodologies, recommendations vary. A few professionals suggest employing the same protocol one would use to foster quality nighttime sleep: a peaceful area, a comfortable bed and as much darkness as possible. Alternatively, experts propose that you should simply nap on the sofa with ambient lighting is present – both to discourage post-nap grogginess and to “protect” your sleeping quarters as the space you associate with *real* sleep. “Falling asleep is quite challenging to will,” says a specialist. “If you don’t have any drowsiness, it becomes harder to get comfortable and basically command yourself to fall asleep. You need a natural inclination there to start the process initially. I can usually take a nap in broad daylight and wake up naturally without an alarm, though, what aids a lot of people is to wait for a moment when they are naturally slightly tired and just gently relax into it.”
Experimentation is key, and when your choices are limited – such as, if attempting to grab some shut-eye while traveling or at the office – it is perfectly fine to use sleep aids. “Coaching elite athletes, I advise that they avoid becoming accustomed to napping in bed, because they’re going to have|they will
