Listen to a few performance experts, and it’s tempting to think that napping is a superpower: rather than a band-aid following restless night, but a path to enhanced cognition, a brighter outlook and perhaps improved athletic performance. Elite athletes do it regularly – and so are musicians, UFC champions and business leaders. However, if you lack a special sleep space or a job that permits daytime sleep, 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? Furthermore, can you truly ensure you will get up feeling improved, instead of groggy?
Identifying The Drive to Snooze
“Experts note three primary motivations for daytime sleep in the adult population,” notes an expert sleep and circadian science professor. “One is what we call compensatory napping, that is what happens when you’ve had a lack of sleep the previous night. Another is pre-emptive sleep, when you are anticipating sleep loss coming up, for instance if you’re working overnight shifts. The third is called “hedonic napping”, which basically comes down to desire: you get an opportunity to nap in the afternoon, and it's pleasant to indulge.”
The first thing to do, so, is to think about your reason for napping. “Naps can be truly beneficial when night sleeping is disturbed because of factors you cannot change – for example, if you’re a parent of a newborn, or you’re recovering from illness or intense exercise,” states a sleep specialist. “But if you take a nap as your sleep at night feels fragile or unreliable, that’s often a signal your body's sleep pressure is not at the level it needs to be. In such situations, napping can become part of the issue, not the solution. Use napping for brief periods to address immediate needs – the priority ought to remain a solid and consistent night’s sleep.”
The Ideal Nap Length
Therefore that naps shouldn’t be long enough to affect your sleep at night, and ideally are not recommended in the late afternoon (depending on what time you go to bed overnight). What's a reasonable length? Advice differs. In one of a prominent study regarding daytime sleep, researchers at Nasa discovered that crew members showed a boost of up to 54% in vigilance plus a 34% rise in performance after a 26-minute nap (technically, this included a six-minute long falling asleep phase). “My advice is setting a timer for 20 to 30 minutes – the majority fall asleep quickly,” explains a sleep expert. “You'll find much advice around concerning the ideal number of time, yet that often lead individuals to become more worried above all – and the worst thing you can possibly do when trying to nod off is worry about it.”
If you plan to sleep for longer, avoid the 45-60 minute window that induces sleep inertia, that foggy state upon waking. “Studies would say it's more effective to opt for a longer nap lasting 60-90 minutes than a medium-length one,” notes the sleep scientist. “Three-quarters of an hour is enough time to plunge you into deep sleep and you’re more likely to feel groggy when you get up – however, if you extend it slightly longer to a full sleep cycle, you’re likely to be completing a full cycle and should awaken feeling more alert. But if you nap for a long period, it may impact how you sleep that night.”
Establishing an Ideal Sleep Space
When it comes to specific techniques, advice differs. Some experts recommend using similar routines you use to foster a good night’s sleep: a silent space, a cozy bed and as much darkness as you can manage. Others suggest that one could just doze on the sofa in whatever light is available – to prevent that groggy feeling and to preserve your sleeping quarters as the place you associate with proper sleep. “Falling asleep is something really tricky to will,” says an expert. “If you don’t have the urge to sleep, it becomes harder to get comfortable and essentially tell yourself to fall asleep. You need a natural inclination there to initiate sleep to begin with. For me, it's possible to nap in broad daylight and awaken on my own without a timer, but what helps most folks is to wait for an instance where they feel naturally slightly tired and then simply allow sleep to come.”
Experimentation is key, and when options are scarce – for example, if attempting to grab some shut-eye during a commute or in a soundproof office pod – there’s nothing wrong to employ some accessories. “Coaching footballers, I suggest that they don’t get used to their own bed for naps, because they’re going to have|they will
