Listen to enough productivity experts, and you'll be simple to think that dozing is a secret weapon: more than a band-aid after poor sleep, but a path to a better memory, better spirits and perhaps improved athletic performance. Elite soccer players are all at it – and so are concert pianists, fighters & media moguls. Yet, when you lack a dedicated nap-room or employment that encourages regular snoozing, is it *truly* enough benefits to a short sleep to merit the hassle? Can you find a surefire technique to nod off promptly? And can you honestly promise you’ll wake up feeling better, rather than worse?
Identifying The Nap Motivation
“There are three main reasons for daytime sleep in the adult population,” explains a leading sleep science professor. “The first is termed compensatory napping, that is the action you take after experiencing a lack of sleep the previous night. Secondly, there's pre-emptive sleep, where you are anticipating sleep loss in the future, for example when working overnight shifts. Finally, there's “pleasure-based sleep”, which essentially comes down to wanting: there is a chance to nap during the day, and it feels nice to nap.”
The primary task to do, therefore, is to examine your nap motivation. “Napping can be genuinely useful when nighttime sleep gets interrupted for reasons you cannot change – such as, if you’re a parent of a newborn, or if you are healing from illness or intense exercise,” explains a sleep specialist. “However, if you nap as your night sleep feels fragile or poor, that is frequently a signal your body's sleep pressure is not as strong as it should be. Under those circumstances, napping can become part of the problem, not the solution. Utilize daytime sleep for brief periods for temporary issues – the priority should still be a strong and predictable sleep at night.”
The Optimal Nap Length
Therefore that napping must not be long enough to affect your nighttime sleep, and preferably are not recommended post-3 p.m. (based on the time you retire overnight). How long is sensible? Recommendations vary. From the most-cited studies regarding daytime sleep, experts noted that crew members had improvements of over 50% in vigilance and a 34% increase in task performance post a 26-minute snooze (to be precise, this included an initial six-minute falling asleep phase). “I recommend setting an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – many individuals fall asleep within 10 minutes,” says a sleep coach. “There is plenty of guidance out there concerning the ideal number for sleeping, yet that often lead individuals to become more stressed than anything else – and the least helpful action you can do when trying to nod off is to be anxious.”
Should you decide to nap for a longer period, steer clear of the 45-60 minute window that promotes sleep grogginess, that foggy state when you awaken. “Research indicates it’s better to opt for an extended nap lasting 60-90 minutes than a medium-length one,” says the sleep scientist. “Three-quarters of an hour is sufficient to send you into deep sleep and it is more probable to feel sluggish when you get up – whereas if you extend it a little longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you will probably to finish a full cycle and will probably wake up feeling more refreshed. Though if you're dozing for an hour and a half, it will affect how you sleep that night.”
Creating an Ideal Nap Environment
When it comes to exact methodologies, suggestions are diverse. Some experts propose adopting comparable habits you’d use to encourage restful sleep: a peaceful area, a comfortable bed and minimal light as is feasible. Some advise that it's fine to just doze on the sofa in whatever light is present – both to discourage post-nap grogginess and to maintain your bedroom as the space your mind associates with *real* sleep. “Napping is something really tricky to will,” notes a specialist. “Without the urge to sleep, it is more challenging to get comfortable and basically command yourself to nod off. There must be some sleep pressure present to bring the sleep on in the first place. Personally, I can often snooze in full light and awaken on my own without an alarm, but what helps most folks is to wait for a moment when they are naturally feeling a bit drowsy and calmly allow sleep to come.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and if your choices are limited – for example, if attempting to fit in 40 winks during a commute or in a work pod – it is perfectly fine with bringing sleep aids. “When I’m working with professional sportspeople, I recommend that they not rely on sleeping in their bed, because they’re going to have|they will
