Tune into enough performance gurus, and you'll be simple to convince yourself that dozing is a powerful tool: rather than a quick fix after poor sleep, but a shortcut to a better memory, better spirits and perhaps quicker running times. Premier League footballers swear by it – along with professional piano players, fighters & business leaders. However, if you lack a room for napping or a job that encourages frequent naps, are there *really* worthwhile perks to a short sleep for it to be worth the effort? Is there a reliable way to get to sleep quickly enough? Furthermore, can you really guarantee you’ll wake up feeling better, rather than worse?
Understanding Your Reasons for Napping
“There are three primary motivations for taking a nap among most adults,” notes an expert circadian rhythm researcher. “The first is termed compensatory napping, that is what happens following insufficient sleep the night before. Secondly, there's pre-emptive sleep, when you are anticipating insufficient sleep in the future, such as during graveyard shifts. The third reason is “appetitive drive”, which basically comes down to desire: you have an opportunity to doze during the day, and it's enjoyable to nap.”
The first thing to undertake, therefore, is consider your reason for napping. “Napping can be really helpful when night sleeping is being disrupted for reasons you cannot change – for example, if you’re a new parent, or if you are healing from illness or heavy physical exertion,” explains a sleep specialist. “But if you nap as your sleep at night feels fragile or unreliable, that can be a sign your need for sleep is not where it should be. In such situations, napping can become part of the issue, rather than the answer. Use napping as a temporary measure for temporary issues – the priority should still be a solid and consistent overnight rest.”
The Perfect Nap Length
This means that naps ought not to be sufficiently lengthy to interfere with your overnight rest, and preferably are not recommended in the late afternoon (contingent on what time you sleep in the evening). How long is sensible? Recommendations vary. From the most referenced research regarding daytime sleep, space agency scientists noted that astronauts showed a boost of up to 54% in vigilance and a 34% increase in cognitive performance following a nap of 26 minutes (to be precise, this counted an initial six-minute sleep onset time). “I recommend setting a timer for 20-30 minutes – the majority are asleep within 10 minutes,” says a specialist. “There’s a lot of guidance out there concerning the optimal amount for sleeping, however, that can make people feel more stressed than anything else – and the least helpful action you can do while aiming to fall asleep is to be anxious.”
Should you decide to sleep for longer, avoid the 45-60 minute window that promotes that sluggish feeling, that disoriented sensation when you awaken. “The science indicates it's more effective to have a lengthier snooze of 60 to 90 minutes than a medium-length one,” says the professor. “45 minutes is sufficient to put you into slow-wave sleep making it more likely to feel disoriented when you get up – however, if you extend it a bit longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you will probably to finish a natural sleep cycle and are likely to awaken feeling more rejuvenated. But if you’re sleeping for a long period, it will affect the quality of your sleep that night.”
Establishing the Perfect Snooze Setting
As for specific techniques, advice differs. Some experts propose using similar routines one would use to encourage a good night’s sleep: a silent space, a supportive surface and as much darkness as is feasible. Some advise that you should merely snooze on the sofa with ambient lighting is present – to avoid sleep inertia and to “protect” your bedroom as the environment you associate with proper sleep. “Sleep is something really tricky to force,” says a sleep coach. “If you don’t have the urge to sleep, it is tougher to get comfortable and practically command yourself to go to sleep. There’s got to be some drive present to bring the sleep on to begin with. For me, it's possible to snooze in broad daylight and wake up naturally without a timer, though, what aids most folks is to anticipate a moment where they feel naturally somewhat sleepy and just gently allow sleep to come.”
Experimentation is key, and should you have few options – for example, if attempting to grab 40 winks during a commute or in a work pod – it's acceptable to employ some accessories. “In my work with elite athletes, I recommend that they don’t get used to napping in bed, because they’re going to have|they will
