Tune into enough self-improvement experts, and you'll be tempting to think that napping is a superpower: more than a sticking plaster after a bad night’s sleep, but a path towards enhanced cognition, improved mood and perhaps quicker running times. Premier League athletes are all at it – and so are musicians, mixed martial artists and media moguls. But if you lack a room for napping or employment that encourages frequent naps, is it *truly* sufficient advantages to a quick nap to merit the kerfuffle? Is there a surefire technique to get to sleep quickly enough? Plus, is it possible to truly ensure you will get up feeling better, not worse?
Identifying Your Drive to Snooze
“There are three primary motivations for taking a nap among most adults,” explains a leading sleep and circadian science researcher. “Firstly, there's what we call recovery napping, that is what you do when you’ve had poor sleep the previous night. The second is preparatory napping, which involves preparing for insufficient sleep coming up, for example when working on night shifts. Finally, there's “pleasure-based sleep”, which essentially boils down to wanting: you have a moment to sleep during the day, and it feels nice to indulge.”
The first thing to consider, therefore, is to examine your reason for napping. “Daytime sleep can be really helpful when overnight rest is disturbed because of factors outside your control – for example, when you are a parent of a newborn, or recovering from illness or intense exercise,” explains a sleep specialist. “However, if you’re napping since your night sleep is unstable or broken, that is frequently a signal your body's sleep pressure is not as strong as it should be. In such situations, daytime sleep can turn into part of the issue, rather than the answer. Utilize daytime sleep as a temporary measure for temporary issues – the focus must always be a solid and consistent sleep at night.”
The Optimal Nap Length
This implies that napping shouldn’t be too extended to interfere with your nighttime sleep, and preferably should not occur post-3 p.m. (depending on what time you retire overnight). What's a reasonable length? Advice differs. Among the most-cited studies on the subject, space agency scientists found that space travelers had up to a 54% increase in vigilance and a 34% boost in cognitive performance after a 26-minute nap (to be precise, this involved an initial six-minute nodding-off period). “I recommend using an alarm for half an hour or less – the majority doze off within 10 minutes,” notes a sleep expert. “There’s a lot of advice around regarding the ideal number of time, however, that can make people feel more anxious above all – and the worst thing 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 foggy state upon waking. “The science indicates it's more effective to opt for a lengthier snooze lasting 60-90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” says the sleep scientist. “Three-quarters of an hour is sufficient to send you into a deep sleep stage and it is more probable to feel groggy when you wake up – while if you take it a little longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you’re likely to be completing a full cycle and will probably awaken feeling more alert. However, if you nap for an hour and a half, it will affect the quality of your sleep in the evening.”
Finding the Perfect Snooze Setting
Regarding exact methodologies, recommendations vary. Some experts recommend adopting the same protocol you use to encourage a good night’s sleep: a silent space, a comfortable bed and as much darkness as is feasible. Alternatively, experts propose that one could merely snooze on the sofa in whatever light is available – both to discourage that groggy feeling and to maintain your sleeping quarters as the place your brain links with *real* sleep. “Napping is quite challenging to command,” says an expert. “Lacking any drowsiness, it becomes harder to recline and basically tell yourself to fall asleep. You need some drive present to initiate sleep in the first place. I can usually snooze in full light and wake up naturally without a timer, but what helps many individuals is to wait for a moment where they feel naturally somewhat sleepy and just gently ease into sleep.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and if options are scarce – for example, if attempting to fit in 40 winks on a train or in a soundproof office pod – it is perfectly fine to employ some accessories. “When I’m working with professional sportspeople, I suggest that they avoid becoming accustomed to their own bed for naps, because they’re going to have|they will
