Hear enough performance podcasters, and it’s tempting to think that napping is a secret weapon: more than a quick fix after a bad night’s sleep, but a route to a better memory, better spirits and possibly quicker running times. Professional athletes are all at it – and so are professional piano players, fighters and business leaders. However, if you lack a special sleep space or a job that encourages frequent naps, are there *really* sufficient advantages to a short sleep to merit the kerfuffle? Is there a surefire technique to nod off promptly? Furthermore, can you truly ensure you’ll wake up feeling refreshed, rather than worse?
Identifying The Nap Motivation
“We can identify three main reasons for napping in the adult population,” notes an expert sleep science researcher. “Firstly, there's termed compensatory napping, which is the action you take when you’ve had a lack of sleep the previous night. Secondly, there's preparatory napping, where you are preparing for sleep loss in the future, for instance when working overnight shifts. The third is called “hedonic napping”, which essentially is about wanting: you get a chance to sleep in the afternoon, and it's pleasant to nap.”
The initial step to consider, then, is consider why you want to nap. “Daytime sleep can be truly beneficial when night sleeping is being disrupted due to causes beyond your control – for instance, for a parent of a newborn, or if you are healing after being ill or intense exercise,” states a sleep expert. “Yet when you take a nap since your sleep at night feels fragile or poor, that’s often an indicator your need for sleep is not where it should be. Under those circumstances, naps can become part of the issue, rather than the answer. Utilize daytime sleep for brief periods for temporary issues – the priority ought to remain a robust and regular night’s sleep.”
The Perfect Nap Duration
This implies that napping ought not to be too extended to affect your overnight rest, and preferably shouldn’t take place after about 3pm (contingent on when you go to bed at night). What's a reasonable length? Guidelines are mixed. In one of a prominent study on the subject, experts noted that space travelers had improvements of over 50% in vigilance and a 34% increase in cognitive performance after a 26-minute nap (to be precise, this involved an initial six-minute sleep onset time). “My advice is using an alarm for half an hour or less – many individuals fall asleep in under ten minutes,” explains a sleep coach. “There’s a lot of guidance out there regarding the optimal amount of time, however, that can make people feel more anxious than anything else – and the most counterproductive thing you can possibly do while aiming to nod off is worry about it.”
If you plan to nap for a longer period, bypass the 45-60 minute window that induces that sluggish feeling, that disoriented sensation when you wake. “Studies would say it is preferable to opt for a lengthier snooze of 60 to 90 minutes than a medium-length one,” explains the sleep scientist. “Three-quarters of an hour is sufficient to plunge you into deep sleep and you’re more likely to feel disoriented when you get up – whereas if you nap for slightly longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you will probably to be completing a natural sleep cycle and are likely to awaken feeling more rejuvenated. But if you're dozing for 90 minutes, it can influence how you sleep that night.”
Finding an Ideal Snooze Setting
Regarding precise methods, recommendations vary. Certain specialists recommend using the same protocol one would use to foster a good night’s sleep: a quiet room, a supportive surface and as much darkness as is feasible. Others suggest that one could just doze on the sofa in whatever light is present – both to discourage that groggy feeling and to maintain your sleeping quarters as the environment your mind associates with *real* sleep. “Falling asleep is quite challenging to force,” explains a specialist. “Lacking any sleepiness, it is tougher to get comfortable and practically command yourself to go to sleep. There’s got to be some sleep pressure there to start the process to begin with. I can usually nap during the day and awaken on my own without a timer, however, what assists many individuals is to wait for a time where they feel naturally slightly tired and just gently ease into sleep.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and should your choices are limited – for example, if you’re trying to fit in some shut-eye on a train or at the office – there’s nothing wrong with bringing some accessories. “When I’m working with professional sportspeople, I advise that they avoid becoming accustomed to their own bed for naps, as they’re going to have|they will
