Tune into a few self-improvement podcasters, making it simple to convince yourself that dozing is a superpower: rather than a band-aid following a bad night’s sleep, but a path towards enhanced cognition, a brighter outlook and maybe quicker running times. Elite soccer players are all at it – and so are musicians, mixed martial artists and media moguls. But if you haven’t got a special sleep space or a job that allows frequent naps, is it *truly* sufficient advantages to a quick nap to justify the hassle? Does there exist a reliable way to get to sleep quickly enough? Furthermore, can you honestly promise you will arise feeling improved, not worse?
Exploring Your Nap Motivation
“There are three main reasons for napping among most adults,” explains a professor of sleep and circadian science researcher. “One is termed make-up sleep, essentially what you do when you’ve had insufficient sleep the night before. Secondly, there's preparatory napping, when you are anticipating insufficient sleep coming up, such as if you’re working overnight shifts. The third reason is “hedonic napping”, which basically comes down to the wish: you have a moment to sleep during the day, and it's enjoyable to indulge.”
The first thing to do, so, is to examine your nap motivation. “Naps can be truly beneficial when nighttime sleep gets interrupted because of factors you cannot change – such as, when you are caring for an infant, or you’re recovering from sickness or strenuous activity,” explains a sleep specialist. “But if you nap because your night sleep is unstable or unreliable, that’s often a signal your body's sleep pressure is not at the level it needs to be. Under those circumstances, naps can become part of the problem, not the solution. Use napping for brief periods for temporary issues – the focus should still be a strong and predictable overnight rest.”
The Perfect Snooze Time
This implies that naps shouldn’t be long enough to affect your overnight rest, and best are not recommended in the late afternoon (depending on what time you sleep in the evening). What's a reasonable length? Guidelines are mixed. In one of a prominent study regarding daytime sleep, experts discovered that crew members experienced improvements of over 50% in alertness and a 34% boost in task performance following a nap of 26 minutes (in detail, this included a six-minute long falling asleep phase). “I recommend setting an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – the majority are asleep in under ten minutes,” says a specialist. “There’s a lot of advice around about the ideal number of time, yet that often make people feel more worried than anything – and the least helpful action one can do when attempting to fall asleep is worry about it.”
Should you decide to take an extended nap, steer clear of the 45 to 60 minute range that encourages sleep inertia, that disoriented sensation when you wake. “Studies indicates it’s better to take an extended nap lasting 60-90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” says the sleep scientist. “Forty-five minutes is long enough to send you into a deep sleep stage making it more likely to feel disoriented when you get up – whereas if you extend it a bit longer to 60 or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to be on the end of a sleep cycle and are likely to get up feeling more rejuvenated. But if you nap for an hour and a half, it will affect your sleep later that night.”
Finding the Right Snooze Setting
Regarding exact methodologies, advice differs. Some experts suggest using the same protocol one would use to encourage restful sleep: a quiet room, a cozy bed and maximum darkness as is feasible. Some advise that you should simply nap on a couch in the existing light is present – to prevent post-nap grogginess and to maintain your bedroom as the environment you associate with proper sleep. “Napping is notoriously difficult to command,” notes an expert. “If you don’t have any sleepiness, it is tougher to get comfortable and basically instruct yourself to go to sleep. You need some sleep pressure present to start the process in the first place. Personally, I can often take a nap in full light and awaken on my own alarm-free, though, what aids a lot of people is to look for an instance where they feel naturally somewhat sleepy and just gently allow sleep to come.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and when options are scarce – for instance, if you’re trying to squeeze in a quick nap on a train or in a work pod – it's acceptable with bringing sleep aids. “In my work with elite athletes, I recommend that they avoid becoming accustomed to napping in bed, because they’re going to have|they will
