Tune into a few productivity gurus, and you'll be tempting to believe that napping is a secret weapon: rather than a sticking plaster following poor sleep, but a path to enhanced cognition, improved mood and perhaps improved athletic performance. Elite athletes do it regularly – and so are professional piano players, mixed martial artists and high-profile executives. Yet, when you haven’t got a dedicated nap-room or employment that encourages daytime sleep, is it *truly* sufficient advantages to a quick nap for it to be worth the kerfuffle? Can you find a dependable method to get to sleep quickly enough? And can you really guarantee you will arise feeling improved, instead of groggy?
Exploring Your Reasons for Napping
“Experts note three key drivers for napping among most adults,” says an expert sleep and circadian science professor. “Firstly, there's termed compensatory napping, that is the action you take after experiencing insufficient sleep the previous night. Another is pre-emptive sleep, when you are anticipating a sleep deficit in the future, such as when working on night shifts. Finally, there's “hedonic napping”, which essentially is about wanting: there is a chance to sleep in the daytime, and it's pleasant to do it.”
The primary task to consider, so, is to think about your nap motivation. “Naps can be truly beneficial when nighttime sleep gets interrupted due to causes you cannot change – such as, if you’re a new parent, or you’re recovering after being ill or strenuous activity,” states a sleep specialist. “However, if you take a nap because your sleep at night is unstable or poor, that can be a sign your body's sleep pressure is not at the level it should be. Under those circumstances, napping can become part of the issue, not the solution. Utilize daytime sleep for brief periods for temporary issues – the focus should still be a solid and consistent night’s sleep.”
The Perfect Nap Length
This implies that naps must not be too extended to affect your nighttime sleep, and preferably should not occur post-3 p.m. (based on the time you sleep overnight). What duration is wise? Advice differs. From the most referenced research regarding daytime sleep, experts noted that astronauts experienced up to a 54% increase in attentiveness and a 34% boost in performance following a nap of 26 minutes (to be precise, this involved a six-minute falling asleep phase). “I recommend using an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – most people fall asleep in under ten minutes,” notes a specialist. “There is plenty of guidance out there concerning the perfect length for sleeping, but that tends to make people feel more stressed above all – and the least helpful action one can do while aiming to get to sleep is to be anxious.”
Should you decide to nap for a longer period, avoid the period between 45 and 60 minutes that induces sleep inertia, that disoriented sensation when you awaken. “Research suggests it is preferable to take an extended nap of 60 to 90 minutes than a medium-length one,” explains the professor. “Three-quarters of an hour is enough time to plunge you into a deep sleep stage making it more likely to feel sluggish when you get up – whereas if you take it slightly longer to 60 or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to be on the end of a sleep cycle and will probably awaken feeling more rejuvenated. Though if you're dozing for a long period, it can influence how you sleep in the evening.”
Establishing the Right Nap Environment
As for precise methods, advice differs. A few professionals suggest using comparable habits you’d use to foster quality nighttime sleep: a silent space, a supportive surface and maximum darkness as possible. Alternatively, experts propose that it's fine to simply nap in a chair with ambient lighting is present – to avoid that groggy feeling and to “protect” your bed as the space your brain links with proper sleep. “Falling asleep is something really tricky to command,” explains a specialist. “If you don’t have any sleepiness, it becomes harder to lie down and essentially tell yourself to go to sleep. There must be some drive available to initiate sleep in the first place. Personally, I can often take a nap in full light and wake up naturally without a timer, but what helps many individuals is to anticipate an instance that they’re naturally somewhat sleepy and calmly allow sleep to come.”
Experimentation is key, and should options are scarce – for instance, when aiming to squeeze in some shut-eye during a commute or in a work pod – there’s nothing wrong with bringing sleep aids. “In my work with professional sportspeople, I recommend that they avoid becoming accustomed to napping in bed, as they’re going to have|they will
