Tune into a few performance experts, and it’s simple to think that napping is a secret weapon: rather than a quick fix after restless night, but a path towards a better memory, better spirits and maybe quicker running times. Professional footballers swear by it – along with professional piano players, UFC champions and business leaders. Yet, when you haven’t got a room for napping or a job that encourages regular snoozing, is it *truly* sufficient advantages to a burst of shut-eye for it to be worth the kerfuffle? Does there exist a surefire technique to get to sleep quickly enough? Plus, is it possible to truly ensure you will get up feeling improved, not worse?
Understanding The Drive to Snooze
“There are three key drivers for daytime sleep for many people,” notes a leading sleep science professor. “Firstly, there's what we call compensatory napping, essentially what you do when you’ve had poor sleep the night before. Secondly, there's pre-emptive sleep, when you are anticipating a sleep deficit ahead, such as if you’re working graveyard shifts. The third reason is “pleasure-based sleep”, which essentially comes down to the wish: there is a moment to nap in the afternoon, and it's pleasant to nap.”
The primary task to do, so, is to think about your reason for napping. “Daytime sleep can be truly beneficial when night sleeping is disturbed because of factors you cannot change – for example, when you are a parent of a newborn, or recovering from illness or strenuous activity,” says a sleep physiologist. “But if you’re napping as your sleep at night feels fragile or unreliable, that’s often a signal your body's sleep pressure is not as strong as it needs to be. In such situations, naps can become a contributing factor, instead of the fix. Employ naps for brief periods for temporary issues – the priority must always be a robust and regular night’s sleep.”
The Perfect Nap Duration
Therefore that daytime sleep shouldn’t be long enough to disrupt your sleep at night, and best shouldn’t take place after about 3pm (based on the time you go to bed in the evening). How long is sensible? Advice differs. Among the most referenced research regarding daytime sleep, researchers at Nasa discovered that space travelers experienced up to a 54% increase in attentiveness and a 34% boost in task performance after a 26-minute nap (to be precise, this included a six-minute long falling asleep phase). “I recommend setting a timer for 20-30 minutes – many individuals fall asleep in under ten minutes,” explains a specialist. “There is plenty of guidance out there about the perfect length of minutes, however, that can lead individuals to become more worried than anything else – and the least helpful action you can do while aiming to nod off is to be anxious.”
If you plan to nap for a longer period, avoid the period between 45 and 60 minutes that encourages that sluggish feeling, that disoriented sensation when you wake. “Studies would say it’s better to take an extended nap lasting 60-90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” says the professor. “Forty-five minutes is sufficient to send you into deep sleep making it more likely to feel disoriented upon awakening – however, if you nap for slightly longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you’re likely to be completing of a sleep cycle and are likely to awaken feeling more rejuvenated. Though if you're dozing for 90 minutes, it will affect the quality of your sleep later that night.”
Finding the Right Nap Environment
When it comes to specific techniques, advice differs. Certain specialists recommend employing similar routines you’d use to encourage restful sleep: a quiet room, a cozy bed and as much darkness as you can manage. Others suggest that you should merely snooze on the sofa in whatever light is available – both to discourage that groggy feeling and to “protect” your bedroom as the place you associate with proper sleep. “Sleep is quite challenging to force,” notes an expert. “If you don’t have any drowsiness, it is tougher to lie down and practically tell yourself to go to sleep. There’s got to be some drive available to start the process in the first place. I can usually nap during the day and wake up naturally without an alarm, however, what assists a lot of people is to look for an instance where they feel naturally feeling a bit drowsy and just gently relax into it.”
Experimentation is key, and when your choices are limited – for instance, when aiming to grab 40 winks while traveling or in a soundproof office pod – it's acceptable to use sleep aids. “Coaching professional sportspeople, I suggest that they avoid becoming accustomed to their own bed for naps, because they’re going to have|they will
