Tune into a few productivity experts, making it simple to believe that dozing is a powerful tool: more than a band-aid following restless night, but a shortcut towards improved recall, better spirits and possibly a faster 5k run time. Elite athletes swear by it – along with professional piano players, UFC champions and business leaders. However, if you haven’t got a dedicated nap-room or a job that permits frequent naps, can there *honestly* enough benefits to a short sleep to justify the kerfuffle? Is there a reliable way to fall asleep fast? Furthermore, can you truly ensure you will get up feeling improved, rather than worse?
Exploring The Nap Motivation
“There are three primary motivations for napping for many people,” says a leading circadian rhythm researcher. “One is termed make-up sleep, which is what happens following poor sleep the previous night. Secondly, there's pre-emptive sleep, which involves anticipating a sleep deficit ahead, for instance when working graveyard shifts. The third is called “pleasure-based sleep”, which basically comes down to the wish: you get an opportunity to nap in the daytime, and it feels nice to do it.”
The first thing to do, therefore, is consider your nap motivation. “Napping can be genuinely useful when overnight rest is being disrupted because of factors beyond your control – such as, when you are a new parent, or if you are healing from illness or heavy physical exertion,” says a sleep physiologist. “But if you’re napping as your night sleep seems unreliable or broken, that is frequently a signal your sleep drive is not as strong as it should be. In those cases, daytime sleep can turn into part of the problem, rather than the answer. Use napping as a temporary measure for temporary issues – the priority must always be a strong and predictable sleep at night.”
The Optimal Nap Duration
This implies that daytime sleep must not be sufficiently lengthy to affect your nighttime sleep, and preferably shouldn’t take place after about 3pm (contingent on when you sleep overnight). What's a reasonable length? Recommendations vary. From the most referenced research on the subject, experts noted that astronauts showed a boost of up to 54% in vigilance and a 34% increase in performance post a 26-minute snooze (in detail, this counted an initial six-minute sleep onset time). “I recommend using an alarm for 20-30 minutes – most people are asleep quickly,” explains a sleep coach. “You'll find much recommendations concerning the ideal number of minutes, however, that can lead individuals to become more stressed above all – and the least helpful action you can possibly do when trying to fall asleep is to stress over it.”
If you plan to nap for a longer period, steer clear of the period between 45 and 60 minutes that induces sleep grogginess, that spaced-out feeling upon waking. “The science would say it’s better to take a longer nap of one to one and a half hours rather than a mid-length nap,” notes the expert. “45 minutes is enough time to put you into a deep sleep stage and you’re more likely to feel groggy when you wake up – however, if you take it a bit longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you will probably to finish a full cycle and should awaken feeling more alert. However, if you're dozing for an hour and a half, it can influence your sleep later that night.”
Finding the Right Sleep Space
When it comes to precise methods, suggestions are diverse. Some experts propose using comparable habits one would use to encourage a good night’s sleep: a peaceful area, a comfortable bed and minimal light as possible. Others suggest that you should merely snooze in a chair in whatever light is present – to prevent post-nap grogginess and to maintain your sleeping quarters as the environment your mind associates with nighttime rest. “Napping is something really tricky to command,” says a specialist. “Without any drowsiness, it becomes harder to lie down and basically tell yourself to go to sleep. There’s got to be some drive present to start the process in the first place. Personally, I can often take a nap in full light and wake up naturally without a timer, though, what aids a lot of people is to look for a time where they feel naturally slightly tired and just gently allow sleep to come.”
It’s worth experimenting, and should you have few options – for example, when aiming to grab a quick nap during a commute or at the office – it's acceptable to employ sleep aids. “Coaching elite athletes, I advise that they not rely on their own bed for naps, since they’re going to have|they will
