Hear enough self-improvement experts, and it’s easy to convince yourself that a nap is a secret weapon: more than a sticking plaster after restless night, but a path to enhanced cognition, improved mood and maybe quicker running times. Professional soccer players swear by it – and so are professional piano players, mixed martial artists and media moguls. But if you lack a special sleep space or a job that permits regular snoozing, can there *honestly* worthwhile perks to a quick nap to justify the hassle? Can you find a surefire technique to nod off promptly? And can you honestly promise you will arise feeling improved, instead of groggy?
Exploring Your Drive to Snooze
“We can identify three key drivers for taking a nap among most adults,” says a professor of circadian rhythm specialist. “One is what we call recovery napping, that is what happens following insufficient sleep overnight. Another is pre-emptive sleep, where you are anticipating sleep loss in the future, such as when working graveyard shifts. The third reason is “pleasure-based sleep”, which basically comes down to the wish: you get a chance to sleep in the afternoon, and it feels nice to indulge.”
The primary task to undertake, so, is to think about your nap motivation. “Naps can be truly beneficial when night sleeping gets interrupted for reasons beyond your control – for example, for a new parent, or recovering from sickness or intense exercise,” states a sleep physiologist. “But if you take a nap because your night sleep is unstable or broken, that can be an indicator your need for sleep is not as strong as it should be. In such situations, naps can become part of the problem, rather than the answer. Use napping for brief periods for short-term problems – the main goal ought to remain a solid and consistent overnight rest.”
The Optimal Nap Length
This implies that napping shouldn’t be long enough to interfere with your overnight rest, and preferably should not occur in the late afternoon (contingent on what time you sleep in the evening). What duration is wise? Guidelines are mixed. From the most-cited studies regarding daytime sleep, experts noted that crew members experienced a boost of up to 54% in attentiveness plus a 34% rise in performance after a 26-minute nap (technically, this counted an initial six-minute sleep onset time). “I recommend setting an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – the majority fall asleep quickly,” says a sleep coach. “There’s a lot of recommendations about the perfect length of time, however, that can lead individuals to become more anxious than anything – and the most counterproductive thing one can do while aiming to nod off is worry about it.”
If you’re going to sleep for longer, bypass the period between 45 and 60 minutes that encourages sleep grogginess, that foggy state upon waking. “Research indicates it’s better to opt for a longer nap of one to one and a half hours compared to a medium-length nap,” explains the professor. “Forty-five minutes is enough time to plunge you into slow-wave sleep and it is more probable to feel disoriented when you get up – whereas if you extend it slightly longer to a full sleep cycle, you’re likely to be completing of a sleep cycle and will probably awaken feeling more alert. However, if you’re sleeping for an hour and a half, it may impact how you sleep that night.”
Creating the Perfect Snooze Setting
As for exact methodologies, advice differs. Certain specialists suggest employing similar routines one would use to foster quality nighttime sleep: a peaceful area, a cozy bed and maximum darkness as is feasible. Alternatively, experts propose that one could merely snooze in a chair with ambient lighting happens to be around – to prevent sleep inertia and to “protect” your bedroom as the space your mind associates with nighttime rest. “Napping is something really tricky to command,” says a sleep coach. “If you don’t have the urge to sleep, it is tougher to recline and practically instruct yourself to fall asleep. There’s got to be some drive available to bring the sleep on in the first place. For me, it's possible to nap in full light and awaken on my own without an alarm, but what helps most folks is to wait for a time where they feel naturally somewhat sleepy and then simply allow sleep to come.”
Experimentation is key, and when your choices are limited – such as, if attempting to grab some shut-eye during a commute or in a soundproof office pod – it is perfectly fine to employ sleep aids. “In my work with footballers, I suggest that they not rely on napping in bed, because they’re going to have|they will
