Listen to a few performance podcasters, making it easy to convince yourself that napping is a superpower: not just a band-aid after a bad night’s sleep, but a shortcut towards a better memory, better spirits and perhaps a faster 5k run time. Elite footballers swear by it – and so are professional piano players, mixed martial artists and business leaders. However, if you haven’t got a special sleep space or a job that permits regular snoozing, is it *truly* worthwhile perks to a short sleep for it to be worth the hassle? Can you find a reliable way to nod off promptly? And can you really guarantee you will get up feeling better, not worse?
Understanding The Reasons for Napping
“Experts note three main reasons for daytime sleep among most adults,” says a professor of sleep science professor. “The first is termed compensatory napping, that is what you do after experiencing insufficient sleep the previous night. Secondly, there's pre-emptive sleep, when you are pre-empting sleep loss coming up, for instance when working overnight shifts. The third reason is “appetitive drive”, which simply is about desire: there is an opportunity to nap in the daytime, and it feels nice to do it.”
The first thing to consider, then, is to think about your nap motivation. “Naps can be really helpful when night sleeping is being disrupted due to causes you cannot change – for example, when you are a new parent, or recovering from illness or strenuous activity,” says a sleep physiologist. “But if you’re napping as your sleep at night seems unreliable or broken, that is frequently a sign your body's sleep pressure is not at the level it needs to be. In such situations, napping can become part of the issue, not the solution. Employ naps for brief periods for short-term problems – the priority should still be a robust and regular overnight rest.”
The Ideal Snooze Time
Therefore that napping ought not to be too extended to interfere with your nighttime sleep, and best shouldn’t take place after about 3pm (contingent on what time you retire in the evening). What's a reasonable length? Guidelines are mixed. Among the most referenced research about napping, space agency scientists noted that astronauts experienced a boost of up to 54% in vigilance and a 34% increase in task performance post a 26-minute snooze (in detail, this involved an initial six-minute sleep onset time). “I recommend using an alarm for 20-30 minutes – most people doze off in under ten minutes,” notes a specialist. “There’s a lot of recommendations about the ideal number for sleeping, yet that often lead individuals to become more worried above all – and the least helpful action you can do when attempting to get to sleep is to be anxious.”
If you’re going to sleep for longer, avoid the 45-60 minute window that encourages that sluggish feeling, that spaced-out feeling when you awaken. “The science suggests it is preferable to have an extended nap lasting 60-90 minutes than a medium-length one,” notes the expert. “45 minutes is sufficient to send you into slow-wave sleep and it is more probable to feel disoriented when you get up – whereas if you extend it a bit longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you’re likely to be completing of a sleep cycle and will probably get up feeling more alert. However, if you’re sleeping for 90 minutes, it may impact how you sleep later that night.”
Establishing an Ideal Snooze Setting
When it comes to precise methods, advice differs. A few professionals suggest using the same protocol you’d use to promote quality nighttime sleep: a quiet room, a supportive surface and minimal light as is feasible. Some advise that it's fine to simply nap in a chair with ambient lighting happens to be around – to prevent post-nap grogginess and to “protect” your bedroom as the space your mind associates with *real* sleep. “Sleep is something really tricky to command,” notes a sleep coach. “If you don’t have the urge to sleep, it becomes harder to recline and essentially instruct yourself to fall asleep. There must be some sleep pressure available to start the process initially. I can usually take a nap in broad daylight and naturally wake up alarm-free, though, what aids a lot of people is to look for an instance where they feel naturally slightly tired and then simply allow sleep to come.”
It’s worth experimenting, and when you have few options – for example, when aiming to fit in a quick nap while traveling or at the office – it is perfectly fine with bringing some accessories. “When I’m working with elite athletes, I advise that they don’t get used to their own bed for naps, since they’re going to have|they will
