Hear a few productivity gurus, making it tempting to convince yourself that a nap is a powerful tool: not just a quick fix after poor sleep, but a path to a better memory, improved mood and maybe a faster 5k run time. Professional athletes are all at it – along with concert pianists, mixed martial artists and media moguls. However, if you don't have a dedicated nap-room or a job that permits daytime sleep, can there *honestly* enough benefits to a quick nap to merit the kerfuffle? Can you find a reliable way to nod off promptly? And can you really guarantee you will arise feeling improved, not worse?
Understanding The Drive to Snooze
“We can identify three main reasons for daytime sleep among most adults,” notes a leading sleep and circadian science professor. “The first is known as make-up sleep, which is the action you take when you’ve had a lack of sleep overnight. Another is pre-emptive sleep, which involves pre-empting insufficient sleep in the future, such as when working overnight shifts. Finally, there's “pleasure-based sleep”, which basically is about wanting: you get a chance to sleep during the day, and it's pleasant to do it.”
The primary task to do, therefore, is to think about why you want to nap. “Daytime sleep can be truly beneficial when overnight rest is being disrupted because of factors beyond your control – for instance, if you’re a parent of a newborn, or if you are healing from sickness or heavy physical exertion,” states a sleep expert. “However, if you nap as your sleep at night feels fragile or broken, that can be a sign your need for sleep is not at the level required. In those cases, daytime sleep can turn into part of the issue, instead of the fix. Use napping as a short-term solution to address immediate needs – the main goal ought to remain a strong and predictable overnight rest.”
The Optimal Nap Length
This means that napping shouldn’t be long enough to interfere with your sleep at night, and preferably should not occur post-3 p.m. (depending on what time you retire at night). How long is sensible? Guidelines are mixed. In one of a prominent study regarding daytime sleep, space agency scientists noted that astronauts had up to a 54% increase in attentiveness plus a 34% rise in cognitive performance post a 26-minute snooze (to be precise, this counted a six-minute nodding-off period). “I recommend using an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – the majority doze off within 10 minutes,” notes a sleep coach. “There’s a lot of guidance out there about the perfect length for sleeping, yet that often cause people to feel more worried than anything – and the least helpful action you can possibly do when trying to nod off is to stress over it.”
If you’re going to nap for a longer period, bypass the 45-60 minute window that encourages sleep grogginess, that spaced-out feeling upon waking. “The science indicates it’s better to opt for a lengthier snooze of 60 to 90 minutes than a medium-length one,” explains the expert. “45 minutes is sufficient to plunge you into a deep sleep stage and it is more probable to feel groggy when you wake up – while if you take it a little longer to a full sleep cycle, you’re likely to be completing a natural sleep cycle and are likely to awaken feeling more rejuvenated. Though if you nap for a long period, it can influence how you sleep that night.”
Finding the Right Nap Environment
Regarding exact methodologies, recommendations vary. A few professionals suggest adopting similar routines you’d use to foster a good night’s sleep: a quiet room, a supportive surface and as much darkness as you can manage. Some advise that you should simply nap on the sofa in the existing light happens to be around – to avoid sleep inertia and to “protect” your bed as the place your brain links with *real* sleep. “Sleep is something really tricky to force,” notes a specialist. “If you don’t have any sleepiness, it is more challenging to recline and essentially instruct yourself to nod off. You need some sleep pressure available to bring the sleep on initially. I can usually nap in broad daylight and wake up naturally without a timer, though, what aids most folks is to look for a moment where they feel naturally somewhat sleepy and just gently ease into sleep.”
It’s worth experimenting, and when options are scarce – for instance, when aiming to fit in some shut-eye while traveling or in a soundproof office pod – it is perfectly fine to employ a few tools. “In my work with professional sportspeople, I recommend that they avoid becoming accustomed to sleeping in their bed, as they’re going to have|they will
