Tune into enough productivity podcasters, making it tempting to convince yourself that dozing is a powerful tool: rather than a quick fix after a bad night’s sleep, but a route towards a better memory, better spirits and maybe quicker running times. Elite athletes do it regularly – and so are concert pianists, mixed martial artists & high-profile executives. However, if you lack a special sleep space or a career that allows frequent naps, is it *truly* worthwhile perks to a quick nap to merit the effort? Can you find a reliable way to get to sleep quickly enough? And can you truly ensure you will get up feeling better, instead of groggy?
Understanding The Reasons for Napping
“We can identify three primary motivations for daytime sleep among most adults,” explains an expert sleep and circadian science researcher. “The first is what we call compensatory napping, which is what you do after experiencing a lack of sleep overnight. Another is pre-emptive sleep, where you are preparing for insufficient sleep in the future, for instance during overnight shifts. The third reason is “appetitive drive”, which essentially is about wanting: there is an opportunity to nap in the afternoon, and it's enjoyable to do it.”
The first thing to do, then, is to examine your nap motivation. “Daytime sleep can be truly beneficial when overnight rest is being disrupted due to causes you cannot change – for instance, when you are caring for an infant, or recovering from sickness or strenuous activity,” states a sleep physiologist. “Yet when you’re napping since your night sleep is unstable or unreliable, that is frequently a sign your body's sleep pressure is not where it should be. Under those circumstances, daytime sleep can turn into a contributing factor, instead of the fix. Employ naps as a temporary measure to address immediate needs – the focus ought to remain a robust and regular sleep at night.”
The Optimal Nap Duration
This implies that napping ought not to be too extended to affect your overnight rest, and ideally shouldn’t take place in the late afternoon (depending on the time you go to bed in the evening). How long is sensible? Recommendations vary. Among the most referenced research on the subject, experts found that crew members experienced a boost of up to 54% in vigilance and a 34% increase in task performance after a 26-minute nap (in detail, this counted a six-minute nodding-off period). “My advice is setting a timer for half an hour or less – most people are asleep quickly,” says a specialist. “There is plenty of recommendations about the ideal number of time, yet that often cause people to feel more worried than anything – and the least helpful action you can do when trying to get to sleep is to be anxious.”
If you’re going to take an extended nap, bypass the period between 45 and 60 minutes that promotes sleep inertia, that foggy state when you wake. “The science would say it’s better to take a longer nap of 60 to 90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” says the expert. “45 minutes is long enough to put you into a deep sleep stage and you’re more likely to feel disoriented upon awakening – however, if you nap for slightly longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you’re likely to finish of a sleep cycle and should wake up feeling more rejuvenated. Though if you're dozing for an hour and a half, it may impact your sleep that night.”
Establishing the Perfect Sleep Space
As for exact methodologies, suggestions are diverse. A few professionals recommend employing similar routines you use to promote quality nighttime sleep: a quiet room, a supportive surface and as much darkness as you can manage. Alternatively, experts propose that one could just doze in a chair in the existing light is present – to prevent sleep inertia and to preserve your bed as the space your brain links with *real* sleep. “Falling asleep is something really tricky to command,” notes an expert. “Lacking any drowsiness, it is tougher to lie down and essentially instruct yourself to fall asleep. There must be some drive present to initiate sleep initially. I can usually nap during the day and awaken on my own without a timer, though, what aids most folks is to anticipate a moment that they’re naturally feeling a bit drowsy and just gently relax into it.”
Experimentation is key, and should you have few options – for instance, when aiming to squeeze in some shut-eye on a train or in a work pod – there’s nothing wrong to use a few tools. “In my work with professional sportspeople, I advise that they avoid becoming accustomed to their own bed for naps, as they’re going to have|they will
