Hear plenty of self-improvement experts, and it’s tempting to believe that napping is a superpower: rather than a sticking plaster after restless night, but a route to a better memory, better spirits and maybe a faster 5k run time. Professional soccer players are all at it – along with professional piano players, fighters & media moguls. Yet, when you haven’t got a dedicated nap-room or a career that encourages frequent naps, are there *really* enough benefits to a short sleep to merit the kerfuffle? Is there a surefire technique to fall asleep fast? Furthermore, can you truly ensure you will arise feeling refreshed, instead of groggy?
Identifying Your Reasons for Napping
“There are three key drivers for taking a nap among most adults,” notes a professor of sleep science specialist. “One is what we call make-up sleep, essentially what happens after experiencing a lack of sleep the night before. Secondly, there's preparatory napping, when you are pre-empting sleep loss ahead, for example when working overnight shifts. The third is called “pleasure-based sleep”, which simply comes down to desire: you have an opportunity to nap in the afternoon, and it's enjoyable to indulge.”
The initial step to undertake, so, is to think about why you want to nap. “Naps can be really helpful when overnight rest gets interrupted for reasons outside your control – for example, if you’re a new parent, or you’re recovering from illness or intense exercise,” explains a sleep specialist. “However, if you’re napping as your nighttime sleep is unstable or poor, that can be an indicator your need for sleep is not as strong as required. In such situations, daytime sleep can turn into a contributing factor, rather than the answer. Utilize daytime sleep as a temporary measure for temporary issues – the focus must always be a robust and regular sleep at night.”
The Perfect Nap Duration
This implies that napping shouldn’t be too extended to disrupt your overnight rest, and best are not recommended in the late afternoon (depending on when you go to bed overnight). What's a reasonable length? Recommendations vary. From a prominent study on the subject, researchers at Nasa noted that astronauts had a boost of up to 54% in vigilance and a 34% increase in cognitive performance following a nap of 26 minutes (technically, this involved a six-minute nodding-off period). “I’d suggest setting a timer for 20 to 30 minutes – many individuals are asleep within 10 minutes,” notes a specialist. “You'll find much recommendations regarding the perfect length of minutes, yet that often lead individuals to become more stressed than anything else – and the least helpful action you can possibly do while aiming to get to sleep is to stress over it.”
If you plan to nap for a longer period, bypass the 45 to 60 minute range that induces sleep inertia, that foggy state when you wake. “Studies indicates it’s better to have a lengthier snooze of one to one and a half hours compared to a medium-length nap,” notes the sleep scientist. “Three-quarters of an hour is long enough to send you into a deep sleep stage and it is more probable to feel groggy upon awakening – while if you extend it a little longer to a full sleep cycle, it's likely you'll to be completing a full cycle and will probably get up feeling more refreshed. Though if you’re sleeping for 90 minutes, it may impact the quality of your sleep that night.”
Finding the Perfect Nap Environment
Regarding specific techniques, advice differs. Some experts propose adopting comparable habits one would use to encourage restful sleep: a peaceful area, a supportive surface and minimal light as you can manage. Some advise that it's fine to simply nap in a chair in the existing light happens to be around – to prevent that groggy feeling and to maintain your bed as the place your brain links with *real* sleep. “Sleep is something really tricky to command,” notes a sleep coach. “If you don’t have any drowsiness, it is tougher to get comfortable and basically command yourself to go to sleep. There’s got to be some sleep pressure available to start the process to begin with. For me, it's possible to nap in full light and wake up naturally without a timer, though, what aids a lot of people is to anticipate a time where they feel naturally somewhat sleepy and calmly allow sleep to come.”
It’s worth experimenting, and if options are scarce – for example, if you’re trying to squeeze in a quick nap on a train or at the office – there’s nothing wrong with bringing sleep aids. “Coaching professional sportspeople, I recommend that they don’t get used to sleeping in their bed, because they’re going to have|they will
