Listen to plenty of performance gurus, and you'll be easy to think that dozing is a secret weapon: rather than a sticking plaster after poor sleep, but a shortcut towards improved recall, improved mood and perhaps improved athletic performance. Premier League soccer players swear by it – as do musicians, fighters & business leaders. However, if you lack a special sleep space or a career that allows frequent naps, is it *truly* enough benefits to a quick nap for it to be worth the kerfuffle? Does there exist a surefire technique to nod off promptly? And can you honestly promise you will arise feeling better, rather than worse?
Identifying Your Reasons for Napping
“We can identify three primary motivations for napping in the adult population,” says a professor of circadian rhythm specialist. “The first is known as make-up sleep, that is what you do after experiencing insufficient sleep the previous night. The second is preparatory napping, which involves pre-empting a sleep deficit coming up, for instance if you’re working on night shifts. The third reason is “appetitive drive”, which simply is about wanting: there is a moment to nap in the daytime, and it's pleasant to do it.”
The first thing to do, therefore, is to examine your reason for napping. “Daytime sleep can be really helpful when overnight rest is disturbed for reasons you cannot change – such as, if you’re caring for an infant, or if you are healing from sickness or intense exercise,” explains a sleep specialist. “But if you’re napping since your nighttime sleep is unstable or broken, that is frequently an indicator your sleep drive is not where it needs to be. In such situations, napping can become part of the problem, not the solution. Use napping as a temporary measure to address immediate needs – the main goal must always be a strong and predictable overnight rest.”
The Ideal Snooze Time
This implies that daytime sleep ought not to be sufficiently lengthy to disrupt your overnight rest, and ideally should not occur post-3 p.m. (depending on what time you sleep in the evening). What's a reasonable length? Recommendations vary. From the most-cited studies about napping, space agency scientists noted that space travelers experienced up to a 54% increase in attentiveness plus a 34% rise in cognitive performance post a 26-minute snooze (to be precise, this counted a six-minute sleep onset time). “My advice is using an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – many individuals doze off quickly,” notes a specialist. “There is plenty of recommendations regarding the perfect length for sleeping, yet that often lead individuals to become more anxious than anything else – and the least helpful action you can possibly do when trying to get to sleep is to be anxious.”
Should you decide to nap for a longer period, avoid the 45 to 60 minute range that encourages that sluggish feeling, that disoriented sensation upon waking. “Research indicates it is preferable to take an extended nap lasting 60-90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” explains the professor. “Three-quarters of an hour is enough time to plunge you into a deep sleep stage making it more likely to feel disoriented upon awakening – while if you nap for a little longer to an hour or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to be on the end a full cycle and are likely to wake up feeling more rejuvenated. But if you’re sleeping for 90 minutes, it may impact how you sleep in the evening.”
Establishing the Perfect Nap Environment
Regarding specific techniques, recommendations vary. Some experts suggest using similar routines one would use to encourage a good night’s sleep: a silent space, a cozy bed and maximum darkness as possible. Others suggest that one could simply nap in a chair in the existing light is available – to prevent post-nap grogginess and to preserve your bedroom as the environment your mind associates with nighttime rest. “Napping is notoriously difficult to will,” says a sleep coach. “If you don’t have the urge to sleep, it becomes harder to get comfortable and essentially instruct yourself to nod off. You need some drive there to start the process to begin with. I can usually take a nap in broad daylight and awaken on my own without an alarm, though, what aids many individuals is to look for a moment when they are naturally feeling a bit drowsy and calmly ease into sleep.”
Experimentation is key, and if you have few options – for instance, if attempting to squeeze in some shut-eye on a train or in a soundproof office pod – there’s nothing wrong to use a few tools. “When I’m working with professional sportspeople, I recommend that they avoid becoming accustomed to their own bed for naps, as they’re going to have|they will
