Tune into enough self-improvement gurus, making it easy to believe that a nap is a secret weapon: more than a sticking plaster after poor sleep, but a shortcut towards a better memory, improved mood and perhaps a faster 5k run time. Elite athletes swear by it – as do professional piano players, fighters & business leaders. However, if you haven’t got a room for napping or a career that allows regular snoozing, are there *really* sufficient advantages to a quick nap for it to be worth the hassle? Does there exist a surefire technique to nod off promptly? Furthermore, can you truly ensure you’ll wake up feeling improved, rather than worse?
Understanding Your Reasons for Napping
“We can identify three primary motivations for taking a nap among most adults,” explains a professor of sleep and circadian science specialist. “The first is known as compensatory napping, essentially the action you take after experiencing insufficient sleep the previous night. The second is pre-emptive sleep, when you are preparing for insufficient sleep in the future, for example during overnight shifts. Finally, there's “hedonic napping”, which basically comes down to wanting: there is a chance to nap in the afternoon, and it's pleasant to do it.”
The first thing to do, so, is consider your nap motivation. “Naps can be really helpful when night sleeping is disturbed due to causes you cannot change – for instance, when you are caring for an infant, or recovering from illness or intense exercise,” states a sleep physiologist. “However, if you nap as your night sleep is unstable or poor, that’s often a signal your need for sleep is not as strong as it needs to be. In such situations, napping can become part of the problem, not the solution. Employ naps for brief periods for short-term problems – the focus ought to remain a robust and regular night’s sleep.”
The Ideal Snooze Time
This implies that napping shouldn’t be sufficiently lengthy to interfere with your nighttime sleep, and ideally shouldn’t take place in the late afternoon (based on when you sleep in the evening). What's a reasonable length? Recommendations vary. From the most-cited studies regarding daytime sleep, researchers at Nasa discovered that crew members experienced a boost of up to 54% in attentiveness and a 34% increase in cognitive performance following a nap of 26 minutes (technically, this counted a six-minute long sleep onset time). “My advice is setting a timer for 20 to 30 minutes – the majority doze off within 10 minutes,” says a sleep coach. “There’s a lot of advice around about the ideal number for sleeping, yet that often lead individuals to become more anxious than anything else – and the least helpful action you can possibly do while aiming to fall asleep is worry about it.”
If you’re going to take an extended nap, avoid the period between 45 and 60 minutes that promotes sleep inertia, that disoriented sensation when you wake. “Studies indicates it’s better to take a lengthier snooze of 60 to 90 minutes than a medium-length one,” explains the expert. “Three-quarters of an hour is sufficient to send you into a deep sleep stage and you’re more likely to feel disoriented upon awakening – however, if you nap for a little longer to a full sleep cycle, you’re likely to be completing of a sleep cycle and will probably get up feeling more refreshed. Though if you’re sleeping for 90 minutes, it will affect the quality of your sleep that night.”
Establishing the Right Nap Environment
As for exact methodologies, recommendations vary. Certain specialists recommend using similar routines you use to promote quality nighttime sleep: a peaceful area, a supportive surface and minimal light as you can manage. Others suggest that it's fine to merely snooze in a chair in whatever light is available – both to discourage post-nap grogginess and to maintain your bedroom as the environment your mind associates with proper sleep. “Napping is quite challenging to command,” explains a specialist. “Lacking any drowsiness, it is tougher to get comfortable and essentially command yourself to go to sleep. There must be a natural inclination present to start the process in the first place. Personally, I can often take a nap in broad daylight and naturally wake up alarm-free, however, what assists many individuals is to wait for an instance when they are naturally slightly tired and then simply allow sleep to come.”
Experimentation is key, and should your choices are limited – such as, if attempting to fit in a quick nap during a commute or at the office – it's acceptable to use a few tools. “Coaching footballers, I suggest that they avoid becoming accustomed to their own bed for naps, as they’re going to have|they will
