Tune into a few performance experts, making it tempting to believe that a nap is a secret weapon: more than a sticking plaster after a bad night’s sleep, but a path to enhanced cognition, improved mood and possibly quicker running times. Premier League footballers do it regularly – along with concert pianists, mixed martial artists and business leaders. But if you lack a special sleep space or a job that encourages frequent naps, are there *really* worthwhile perks to a burst of shut-eye to merit the kerfuffle? Can you find a dependable method to fall asleep fast? And can you truly ensure you will get up feeling refreshed, instead of groggy?
Identifying Your Drive to Snooze
“There are three key drivers for napping among most adults,” notes an expert sleep and circadian science professor. “One is termed make-up sleep, which is what you do after experiencing poor sleep the night before. Another is preparatory napping, when you are pre-empting a sleep deficit in the future, for example during on night shifts. The third reason is “pleasure-based sleep”, which simply boils down to desire: you have an opportunity to doze during the day, and it feels nice to nap.”
The primary task to do, so, is to think about your reason for napping. “Napping can be really helpful when nighttime sleep is disturbed because of factors you cannot change – for instance, for caring for an infant, or you’re recovering after being ill or strenuous activity,” says a sleep physiologist. “Yet when you’re napping because your night sleep is unstable or unreliable, that is frequently a signal your body's sleep pressure is not where it needs to be. In those cases, daytime sleep can turn into a contributing factor, instead of the fix. Utilize daytime sleep for brief periods for short-term problems – the focus ought to remain a strong and predictable overnight rest.”
The Perfect Nap Length
Therefore that napping must not be sufficiently lengthy to affect your nighttime sleep, and best shouldn’t take place after about 3pm (depending on when you sleep in the evening). What's a reasonable length? Recommendations vary. From a prominent study on the subject, researchers at Nasa discovered that crew members had improvements of over 50% in vigilance and a 34% boost in task performance after a 26-minute nap (to be precise, this counted a six-minute long nodding-off period). “I’d suggest setting a timer for half an hour or less – many individuals fall asleep in under ten minutes,” explains a sleep expert. “There’s a lot of advice around regarding the perfect length of time, but that tends to lead individuals to become more worried above all – and the least helpful action you can possibly do when attempting to fall asleep is worry about it.”
If you plan to nap for a longer period, steer clear of the period between 45 and 60 minutes that promotes that sluggish feeling, that foggy state when you awaken. “Research suggests it’s better to have a longer nap of one to one and a half hours rather than a mid-length nap,” says the sleep scientist. “Three-quarters of an hour is enough time to plunge you into deep sleep making it more likely to feel groggy upon awakening – while if you nap for a little longer to a full sleep cycle, you’re likely to finish a full cycle and are likely to wake up feeling more alert. But if you nap for 90 minutes, it can influence the quality of your sleep that night.”
Finding the Perfect Sleep Space
As for exact methodologies, suggestions are diverse. A few professionals propose employing the same protocol you’d use to encourage restful sleep: a peaceful area, a cozy bed and minimal light as is feasible. Alternatively, experts propose that you should just doze on a couch with ambient lighting is present – to avoid post-nap grogginess and to preserve your bedroom as the space your brain links with nighttime rest. “Sleep is quite challenging to will,” says a sleep coach. “Lacking any drowsiness, it is more challenging to get comfortable and essentially instruct yourself to go to sleep. You need some drive present to bring the sleep on initially. I can usually snooze during the day and awaken on my own without an alarm, however, what assists most folks is to look for a time that they’re naturally feeling a bit drowsy and calmly allow sleep to come.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and when you have few options – such as, if attempting to squeeze in 40 winks on a train or at the office – it's acceptable to employ sleep aids. “In my work with professional sportspeople, I recommend that they don’t get used to their own bed for naps, since they’re going to have|they will
