Hear enough performance gurus, making it tempting to believe that napping is a superpower: more than a band-aid after a bad night’s sleep, but a shortcut towards a better memory, improved mood and maybe improved athletic performance. Elite footballers are all at it – along with musicians, UFC champions and high-profile executives. But if you haven’t got a special sleep space or a career that allows frequent naps, are there *really* worthwhile perks to a quick nap for it to be worth the kerfuffle? Is there a surefire technique to get to sleep quickly enough? Furthermore, can you really guarantee you’ll wake up feeling improved, instead of groggy?
Identifying The Reasons for Napping
“We can identify three key drivers for daytime sleep for many people,” explains a professor of circadian rhythm researcher. “Firstly, there's known as compensatory napping, which is what happens after experiencing insufficient sleep overnight. Secondly, there's preparatory napping, where you are preparing for sleep loss in the future, such as if you’re working graveyard shifts. Finally, there's “hedonic napping”, which basically is about the wish: you have an opportunity to sleep in the daytime, and it's pleasant to do it.”
The primary task to undertake, so, is to think about your nap motivation. “Napping can be really helpful when nighttime sleep gets interrupted due to causes you cannot change – for instance, when you are caring for an infant, or if you are healing from illness or strenuous activity,” explains a sleep physiologist. “But if you’re napping since your night sleep feels fragile or broken, that is frequently a signal your need for sleep is not as strong as required. Under those circumstances, daytime sleep can turn into part of the issue, instead of the fix. Utilize daytime sleep as a short-term solution for short-term problems – the main goal should still be a strong and predictable sleep at night.”
The Perfect Snooze Time
This means that daytime sleep must not be too extended to interfere with your sleep at night, and preferably are not recommended post-3 p.m. (depending on when you go to bed overnight). What duration is wise? Recommendations vary. Among the most-cited studies regarding daytime sleep, space agency scientists noted that crew members had a boost of up to 54% in attentiveness and a 34% increase in performance following a nap of 26 minutes (to be precise, this involved a six-minute long falling asleep phase). “I recommend using an alarm for 20-30 minutes – many individuals are asleep quickly,” notes a sleep expert. “You'll find much advice around about the optimal amount for sleeping, yet that often lead individuals to become more anxious above all – and the least helpful action you can do when trying to get to sleep is to be anxious.”
If you’re going to take an extended nap, bypass the 45 to 60 minute range that induces sleep grogginess, that foggy state when you awaken. “Studies indicates it is preferable to have a longer nap lasting 60-90 minutes than a medium-length one,” notes the sleep scientist. “45 minutes is sufficient to put you into a deep sleep stage and it is more probable to feel groggy when you get up – however, if you extend it a little longer to 60 or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to be on the end a full cycle and are likely to get up feeling more rejuvenated. But if you’re sleeping for an hour and a half, it may impact the quality of your sleep later that night.”
Finding the Right Nap Environment
As for precise methods, advice differs. A few professionals propose employing comparable habits you’d use to encourage restful sleep: a silent space, a cozy bed and as much darkness as possible. Some advise that you should just doze in a chair in whatever light is available – to prevent post-nap grogginess and to preserve your bedroom as the place your brain links with *real* sleep. “Napping is something really tricky to command,” notes a sleep coach. “Without the urge to sleep, it becomes harder to recline and essentially command yourself to fall asleep. You need a natural inclination available to bring the sleep on to begin with. I can usually take a nap during the day and awaken on my own alarm-free, though, what aids many individuals is to wait for a moment that they’re naturally feeling a bit drowsy and just gently allow sleep to come.”
It’s worth experimenting, and when you have few options – for example, when aiming to fit in a quick nap during a commute or at the office – there’s nothing wrong to use a few tools. “In my work with elite athletes, I recommend that they don’t get used to their own bed for naps, since they’re going to have|they will
