Tune into a few productivity podcasters, and you'll be simple to convince yourself that napping is a superpower: rather than a band-aid following restless night, but a path to improved recall, a brighter outlook and possibly improved athletic performance. Premier League footballers are all at it – as do concert pianists, mixed martial artists and high-profile executives. But if you lack a room for napping or a career that permits daytime sleep, can there *honestly* enough benefits to a short sleep for it to be worth the effort? Is there a surefire technique to get to sleep quickly enough? Furthermore, can you really guarantee you’ll wake up feeling improved, rather than worse?
Identifying The Reasons for Napping
“There are three primary motivations for daytime sleep for many people,” explains a leading sleep science professor. “Firstly, there's known as recovery napping, that is the action you take when you’ve had a lack of sleep overnight. The second is pre-emptive sleep, which involves pre-empting sleep loss in the future, for example during overnight shifts. The third reason is “hedonic napping”, which simply comes down to wanting: there is a chance to nap during the day, and it's enjoyable to do it.”
The first thing to do, so, is to examine your reason for napping. “Napping can be truly beneficial when nighttime sleep is being disrupted because of factors beyond your control – such as, if you’re a new parent, or you’re recovering after being ill or heavy physical exertion,” explains a sleep specialist. “However, if you take a nap as your sleep at night feels fragile or broken, that can be a signal your need for sleep is not at the level it should be. In those cases, daytime sleep can turn into a contributing factor, instead of the fix. Use napping as a temporary measure to address immediate needs – the main goal must always be a robust and regular night’s sleep.”
The Optimal Nap Duration
This implies that napping shouldn’t be long enough to disrupt your sleep at night, and best shouldn’t take place post-3 p.m. (contingent on the time you sleep at night). What duration is wise? Guidelines are mixed. Among the most-cited studies regarding daytime sleep, experts found that space travelers experienced improvements of over 50% in attentiveness and a 34% boost in performance following a nap of 26 minutes (to be precise, this counted an initial six-minute falling asleep phase). “I recommend setting an alarm for half an hour or less – most people are asleep within 10 minutes,” says a sleep coach. “There’s a lot of guidance out there about the ideal number of time, yet that often lead individuals to become more anxious above all – and the most counterproductive thing one can do when attempting to fall asleep is worry about it.”
If you’re going to sleep for longer, bypass the 45-60 minute window that induces that sluggish feeling, that disoriented sensation upon waking. “Studies indicates it’s better to opt for a lengthier snooze of one to one and a half hours compared to a medium-length nap,” says the sleep scientist. “45 minutes is enough time to put you into a deep sleep stage and you’re more likely to feel groggy when you get up – while if you extend it a little longer to 60 or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to finish of a sleep cycle and are likely to get up feeling more alert. But if you’re sleeping for an hour and a half, it may impact your sleep that night.”
Creating the Perfect Snooze Setting
As for exact methodologies, recommendations vary. A few professionals recommend employing comparable habits one would use to encourage a good night’s sleep: a peaceful area, a supportive surface and minimal light as possible. Alternatively, experts propose that one could just doze in a chair in the existing light is present – both to discourage post-nap grogginess and to preserve your bed as the environment you associate with nighttime rest. “Falling asleep is something really tricky to force,” notes a specialist. “Lacking the urge to sleep, it becomes harder to recline and essentially tell yourself to nod off. You need a natural inclination there to start the process to begin with. I can usually snooze in full light and naturally wake up alarm-free, however, what assists many individuals is to wait for an instance when they are naturally feeling a bit drowsy and just gently ease into sleep.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and should options are scarce – for example, if attempting to grab a quick nap while traveling or in a work pod – it is perfectly fine with bringing some accessories. “Coaching elite athletes, I recommend that they not rely on sleeping in their bed, since they’re going to have|they will
