Listen to a few productivity podcasters, and you'll be tempting to think that dozing is a secret weapon: rather than a sticking plaster following a bad night’s sleep, but a path towards enhanced cognition, improved mood and maybe quicker running times. Premier League soccer players do it regularly – as do concert pianists, mixed martial artists & high-profile executives. Yet, when you lack a dedicated nap-room or employment that encourages daytime sleep, is it *truly* sufficient advantages to a burst of shut-eye to justify the effort? Is there a reliable way to nod off promptly? Furthermore, can you honestly promise you’ll wake up feeling improved, rather than worse?
Understanding The Reasons for Napping
“There are three primary motivations for napping among most adults,” notes an expert circadian rhythm researcher. “Firstly, there's what we call compensatory napping, essentially what happens after experiencing poor sleep the night before. Another is prophylactic napping, which involves pre-empting sleep loss in the future, for example if you’re working overnight shifts. Finally, there's “hedonic napping”, which simply is about the wish: there is a chance to doze in the daytime, and it's pleasant to nap.”
The initial step to do, therefore, is to examine why you want to nap. “Daytime sleep can be truly beneficial when nighttime sleep is being disrupted for reasons outside your control – for instance, when you are a parent of a newborn, or recovering from illness or heavy physical exertion,” explains a sleep expert. “Yet when you’re napping since your night sleep seems unreliable or unreliable, that’s often a sign your need for sleep is not as strong as required. Under those circumstances, daytime sleep can turn into a contributing factor, not the solution. Use napping as a short-term solution for temporary issues – the main goal must always be a solid and consistent night’s sleep.”
The Perfect Nap Duration
This means that napping ought not to be sufficiently lengthy to affect your nighttime sleep, and ideally are not recommended post-3 p.m. (depending on the time you go to bed in the evening). What duration is wise? Recommendations vary. From the most referenced research regarding daytime sleep, space agency scientists discovered that crew members showed up to a 54% increase in vigilance and a 34% boost in performance after a 26-minute nap (to be precise, this involved a six-minute sleep onset time). “I’d suggest setting an alarm for 20-30 minutes – most people fall asleep within 10 minutes,” notes a sleep coach. “There is plenty of guidance out there concerning the ideal number of time, yet that often lead individuals to become more anxious above all – and the worst thing you can do when trying to get to sleep is to be anxious.”
If you plan to take an extended nap, bypass the 45 to 60 minute range that encourages sleep grogginess, that foggy state when you awaken. “Research suggests it's more effective to take an extended nap of one to one and a half hours rather than a mid-length nap,” explains the sleep scientist. “Forty-five minutes is sufficient to plunge you into deep sleep and it is more probable to feel disoriented when you get up – whereas if you nap for a little longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you will probably to be on the end a full cycle and should awaken feeling more rejuvenated. Though if you're dozing for 90 minutes, it can influence how you sleep later that night.”
Establishing the Perfect Snooze Setting
As for precise methods, recommendations vary. A few professionals propose adopting the same protocol you use to foster quality nighttime sleep: a peaceful area, a cozy bed and as much darkness as you can manage. Others suggest that it's fine to just doze on a couch with ambient lighting is present – to avoid that groggy feeling and to maintain your sleeping quarters as the place your mind associates with proper sleep. “Sleep is quite challenging to force,” says a sleep coach. “Without any drowsiness, it is tougher to lie down and practically instruct yourself to nod off. You need a natural inclination available to start the process to begin with. Personally, I can often snooze in full light and wake up naturally alarm-free, but what helps most folks is to look for a moment that they’re naturally feeling a bit drowsy and calmly allow sleep to come.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and when you have few options – for example, if you’re trying to squeeze in some shut-eye while traveling or in a soundproof office pod – there’s nothing wrong to use sleep aids. “When I’m working with professional sportspeople, I recommend that they not rely on their own bed for naps, because they’re going to have|they will
