Listen to enough productivity experts, and you'll be simple to convince yourself that napping is a secret weapon: more than a band-aid following a bad night’s sleep, but a path to enhanced cognition, a brighter outlook and possibly quicker running times. Professional soccer players are all at it – as do professional piano players, UFC champions and media moguls. Yet, when you lack a room for napping or a job that encourages daytime sleep, is it *truly* enough benefits to a burst of shut-eye to justify the effort? Is there a surefire technique to fall asleep fast? Furthermore, can you truly ensure you’ll wake up feeling refreshed, not worse?
Exploring The Reasons for Napping
“Experts note three key drivers for taking a nap in the adult population,” explains a professor of sleep science researcher. “Firstly, there's what we call recovery napping, which is what happens after experiencing poor sleep the previous night. Secondly, there's pre-emptive sleep, when you are anticipating sleep loss in the future, for example during graveyard shifts. The third is called “appetitive drive”, which simply boils down to desire: there is an opportunity to nap in the daytime, and it's enjoyable to do it.”
The initial step to undertake, so, is consider your nap motivation. “Naps can be genuinely useful when nighttime sleep is being disrupted due to causes beyond your control – such as, if you’re a new parent, or if you are healing from sickness or strenuous activity,” states a sleep expert. “Yet when you nap since your sleep at night feels fragile or unreliable, that can be a sign your body's sleep pressure is not at the level required. Under those circumstances, daytime sleep can turn into a contributing factor, instead of the fix. Use napping as a short-term solution to address immediate needs – the main goal must always be a solid and consistent night’s sleep.”
The Perfect Nap Length
Therefore that naps ought not to be too extended to affect your nighttime sleep, and preferably shouldn’t take place post-3 p.m. (based on the time you retire overnight). What duration is wise? Advice differs. Among the most-cited studies regarding daytime sleep, researchers at Nasa noted that astronauts experienced a boost of up to 54% in attentiveness and a 34% boost in task performance post a 26-minute snooze (to be precise, this counted an initial six-minute falling asleep phase). “I’d suggest using an alarm for half an hour or less – the majority fall asleep within 10 minutes,” says a sleep coach. “There’s a lot of guidance out there about the ideal number for sleeping, but that tends to cause people to feel more worried than anything else – and the most counterproductive thing you can possibly do when attempting to get to sleep is worry about it.”
If you plan to sleep for longer, steer clear of the 45 to 60 minute range that promotes that sluggish feeling, that disoriented sensation when you awaken. “Studies indicates it’s better to opt for a longer nap of 60 to 90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” explains the expert. “Three-quarters of an hour is long enough to send you into deep sleep and it is more probable to feel disoriented when you wake up – while if you take it a bit longer to a full sleep cycle, it's likely you'll to be completing of a sleep cycle and will probably get up feeling more alert. But if you’re sleeping for a long period, it can influence your sleep in the evening.”
Establishing the Right Snooze Setting
When it comes to exact methodologies, advice differs. Some experts propose using the same protocol one would use to promote quality nighttime sleep: a quiet room, a comfortable bed and minimal light as is feasible. Others suggest that it's fine to just doze on the sofa with ambient lighting is available – to prevent that groggy feeling and to maintain your bedroom as the space you associate with proper sleep. “Falling asleep is notoriously difficult to will,” notes a sleep coach. “Without the urge to sleep, it is tougher to get comfortable and basically command yourself to go to sleep. You need some drive present to start the process initially. For me, it's possible to snooze in broad daylight and naturally wake up alarm-free, but what helps many individuals is to wait for an instance when they are naturally somewhat sleepy and calmly relax into it.”
It’s worth experimenting, and when your choices are limited – for example, when aiming to squeeze in some shut-eye during a commute or at the office – it's acceptable to employ a few tools. “Coaching elite athletes, I advise that they avoid becoming accustomed to napping in bed, because they’re going to have|they will
