Tune into plenty of productivity podcasters, and you'll be simple to convince yourself that napping is a secret weapon: more than a sticking plaster after a bad night’s sleep, but a path to enhanced cognition, improved mood and perhaps a faster 5k run time. Elite footballers swear by it – and so are concert pianists, fighters and media moguls. However, if you haven’t got a special sleep space or employment that encourages frequent naps, is it *truly* sufficient advantages to a burst of shut-eye to justify the hassle? Can you find a dependable method to nod off promptly? Plus, is it possible to truly ensure you’ll wake up feeling better, instead of groggy?
Identifying The Reasons for Napping
“Experts note three main reasons for taking a nap for many people,” says a leading sleep science specialist. “Firstly, there's termed recovery napping, which is the action you take when you’ve had a lack of sleep overnight. The second is preparatory napping, where you are anticipating insufficient sleep ahead, for example if you’re working on night shifts. The third reason is “pleasure-based sleep”, which simply comes down to wanting: you have an opportunity to sleep in the afternoon, and it's pleasant to nap.”
The first thing to consider, then, is to examine your reason for napping. “Naps can be genuinely useful when night sleeping gets interrupted because of factors outside your control – for example, for a parent of a newborn, or you’re recovering from sickness or intense exercise,” says a sleep specialist. “However, if you’re napping because your night sleep is unstable or broken, that can be a signal your need for sleep is not where it needs to be. Under those circumstances, napping can become a contributing factor, not the solution. Use napping as a short-term solution to address immediate needs – the main goal ought to remain a robust and regular night’s sleep.”
The Ideal Nap Length
This means that napping must not be long enough to disrupt your nighttime sleep, and ideally should not occur after about 3pm (based on the time you sleep overnight). What duration is wise? Guidelines are mixed. Among a prominent study regarding daytime sleep, space agency scientists discovered that crew members showed a boost of up to 54% in vigilance and a 34% increase in performance after a 26-minute nap (technically, this included an initial six-minute falling asleep phase). “I recommend setting an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – most people doze off in under ten minutes,” notes a sleep expert. “There’s a lot of recommendations regarding the optimal amount for sleeping, yet that often make people feel more worried than anything – and the least helpful action one can do when trying to nod off is to stress over it.”
Should you decide to sleep for longer, avoid the 45-60 minute window that induces sleep grogginess, that foggy state when you wake. “The science suggests it is preferable to take a lengthier snooze of 60 to 90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” explains the sleep scientist. “Forty-five minutes is enough time to put you into a deep sleep stage and you’re more likely to feel groggy upon awakening – whereas if you take it slightly longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you will probably to be on the end a natural sleep cycle and will probably wake up feeling more rejuvenated. Though if you're dozing for a long period, it will affect your sleep in the evening.”
Creating the Right Snooze Setting
When it comes to specific techniques, advice differs. Certain specialists propose employing comparable habits you’d use to promote a good night’s sleep: a quiet room, a cozy bed and minimal light as is feasible. Alternatively, experts propose that one could merely snooze on a couch with ambient lighting is present – both to discourage sleep inertia and to preserve your bedroom as the environment your brain links with *real* sleep. “Sleep is something really tricky to will,” says a specialist. “If you don’t have any drowsiness, it is tougher to recline and essentially instruct yourself to nod off. There must be a natural inclination present to start the process to begin with. I can usually nap in full light and wake up naturally without a timer, however, what assists most folks is to wait for a moment when they are naturally slightly tired and calmly ease into sleep.”
It’s worth experimenting, and should you have few options – for instance, if you’re trying to squeeze in some shut-eye during a commute or in a soundproof office pod – it is perfectly fine with bringing sleep aids. “When I’m working with footballers, I recommend that they don’t get used to their own bed for naps, as they’re going to have|they will
