Listen to enough productivity gurus, and you'll be simple to convince yourself that dozing is a superpower: not just a band-aid following poor sleep, but a shortcut to a better memory, improved mood and maybe a faster 5k run time. Elite footballers are all at it – as do musicians, fighters & high-profile executives. But if you lack a special sleep space or employment that allows daytime sleep, is it *truly* worthwhile perks to a burst of shut-eye to justify the effort? Does there exist a dependable method to fall asleep fast? Furthermore, can you truly ensure you’ll wake up feeling better, not worse?
Exploring Your Nap Motivation
“We can identify three key drivers for napping among most adults,” says an expert sleep science specialist. “The first is what we call compensatory napping, that is the action you take following poor sleep the night before. Another is preparatory napping, where you are pre-empting sleep loss in the future, for example if you’re working graveyard shifts. Finally, there's “appetitive drive”, which essentially is about the wish: there is a moment to sleep in the daytime, and it feels nice to nap.”
The primary task to undertake, so, is to examine your nap motivation. “Naps can be genuinely useful when overnight rest is being disrupted due to causes beyond your control – for example, if you’re caring for an infant, or recovering from sickness or heavy physical exertion,” says a sleep expert. “However, if you nap since your sleep at night is unstable or poor, that’s often an indicator your need for sleep is not as strong as it needs to be. In those cases, naps can become part of the issue, not the solution. Use napping for brief periods to address immediate needs – the main goal must always be a solid and consistent sleep at night.”
The Ideal Nap Duration
This means that daytime sleep ought not to be sufficiently lengthy to disrupt your sleep at night, and preferably shouldn’t take place post-3 p.m. (depending on what time you sleep at night). What duration is wise? Advice differs. Among the most referenced research regarding daytime sleep, researchers at Nasa discovered that crew members had a boost of up to 54% in alertness and a 34% increase in cognitive performance after a 26-minute nap (in detail, this counted an initial six-minute sleep onset time). “I’d suggest setting a timer for half an hour or less – the majority doze off in under ten minutes,” notes a specialist. “You'll find much recommendations regarding the ideal number of minutes, yet that often lead individuals to become more worried above all – and the most counterproductive thing you can possibly do while aiming to get to sleep is to be anxious.”
Should you decide to take an extended nap, bypass the 45-60 minute window that promotes sleep inertia, that disoriented sensation when you wake. “Studies would say it is preferable to take a longer nap lasting 60-90 minutes than a medium-length one,” explains the professor. “Forty-five minutes is sufficient to put you into a deep sleep stage and you’re more likely to feel disoriented when you get up – whereas if you nap for slightly longer to a full sleep cycle, you’re likely to be on the end a natural sleep cycle and should get up feeling more refreshed. Though if you nap for an hour and a half, it can influence the quality of your sleep later that night.”
Finding the Right Nap Environment
Regarding exact methodologies, recommendations vary. A few professionals recommend using the same protocol one would use to promote restful sleep: a silent space, a cozy bed and minimal light as possible. Alternatively, experts propose that you should simply nap on the sofa with ambient lighting is present – to avoid post-nap grogginess and to “protect” your bed as the space your brain links with *real* sleep. “Falling asleep is quite challenging to will,” says an expert. “Lacking any drowsiness, it is tougher to get comfortable and essentially instruct yourself to fall asleep. There must be some sleep pressure available to initiate sleep in the first place. Personally, I can often take a nap in full light and naturally wake up without a timer, though, what aids most folks is to anticipate an instance when they are naturally feeling a bit drowsy and then simply relax into it.”
It’s worth experimenting, and should you have few options – for instance, if attempting to grab some shut-eye during a commute or in a work pod – it is perfectly fine to use sleep aids. “Coaching elite athletes, I suggest that they not rely on their own bed for naps, since they’re going to have|they will
