Tune into enough productivity podcasters, and it’s easy to think that dozing is a powerful tool: not just a band-aid following poor sleep, but a shortcut to improved recall, better spirits and perhaps quicker running times. Elite footballers do it regularly – and so are musicians, fighters & high-profile executives. Yet, when you don't have a dedicated nap-room or a job that encourages daytime sleep, is it *truly* worthwhile perks to a quick nap for it to be worth the hassle? Is there a dependable method to nod off promptly? Furthermore, can you honestly promise you’ll wake up feeling improved, not worse?
Exploring Your Drive to Snooze
“We can identify three main reasons for taking a nap for many people,” explains a leading sleep and circadian science professor. “Firstly, there's what we call compensatory napping, which is what you do after experiencing insufficient sleep overnight. The second is prophylactic napping, when you are pre-empting insufficient sleep ahead, for instance when working overnight shifts. The third reason is “appetitive drive”, which simply boils down to wanting: you have a moment to doze in the daytime, and it feels nice to nap.”
The primary task to consider, then, is to examine your reason for napping. “Daytime sleep can be truly beneficial when nighttime sleep is being disrupted for reasons beyond your control – for example, for a new parent, or you’re recovering from sickness or intense exercise,” explains a sleep expert. “Yet when you’re napping because your nighttime sleep seems unreliable or poor, that is frequently a sign your body's sleep pressure is not where it needs to be. In such situations, naps can become part of the problem, instead of the fix. Employ naps for brief periods for short-term problems – the priority must always be a robust and regular overnight rest.”
The Ideal Nap Duration
This means that napping ought not to be too extended to interfere with your overnight rest, and best shouldn’t take place after about 3pm (based on what time you retire at night). What duration is wise? Advice differs. From the most referenced research regarding daytime sleep, experts discovered that crew members experienced improvements of over 50% in attentiveness and a 34% boost in task performance following a nap of 26 minutes (technically, this included an initial six-minute falling asleep phase). “I’d suggest using an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – the majority are asleep quickly,” explains a sleep coach. “There is plenty of guidance out there regarding the optimal amount of time, however, that can lead individuals to become more worried than anything – and the least helpful action you can do while aiming to nod off is worry about it.”
If you plan to nap for a longer period, bypass the period between 45 and 60 minutes that encourages sleep inertia, that disoriented sensation upon waking. “Studies indicates it is preferable to have a lengthier snooze lasting 60-90 minutes than a medium-length one,” says the professor. “45 minutes is enough time to send you into deep sleep and you’re more likely to feel sluggish when you wake up – while if you nap for a little longer to a full sleep cycle, you will probably to be completing of a sleep cycle and should awaken feeling more alert. However, if you nap for a long period, it can influence how you sleep in the evening.”
Establishing the Perfect Nap Environment
When it comes to precise methods, suggestions are diverse. Certain specialists recommend adopting comparable habits you use to encourage restful sleep: a quiet room, a supportive surface and minimal light as is feasible. Others suggest that one could merely snooze on the sofa in whatever light happens to be around – to avoid that groggy feeling and to maintain your bed as the space you associate with *real* sleep. “Falling asleep is something really tricky to command,” notes an expert. “Lacking the urge to sleep, it is more challenging to get comfortable and practically tell yourself to nod off. There must be some drive there to start the process to begin with. I can usually take a nap in broad daylight and wake up naturally without a timer, though, what aids many individuals is to anticipate an instance where they feel naturally somewhat sleepy and then simply ease into sleep.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and when your choices are limited – such as, if you’re trying to fit in 40 winks during a commute or at the office – it is perfectly fine to employ sleep aids. “Coaching footballers, I suggest that they don’t get used to napping in bed, since they’re going to have|they will
