Listen to plenty of performance podcasters, and it’s tempting to convince yourself that napping is a superpower: not just a quick fix after restless night, but a shortcut to improved recall, better spirits and perhaps improved athletic performance. Premier League footballers do it regularly – as do professional piano players, fighters & media moguls. But if you don't have a special sleep space or employment that allows daytime sleep, can there *honestly* worthwhile perks to a burst of shut-eye to justify the kerfuffle? Does there exist a reliable way to fall asleep fast? Furthermore, can you truly ensure you will get up feeling improved, rather than worse?
Identifying The Nap Motivation
“Experts note three key drivers for daytime sleep among most adults,” explains a leading sleep and circadian science specialist. “Firstly, there's termed recovery napping, which is what you do following poor sleep overnight. The second is pre-emptive sleep, when you are preparing for a sleep deficit coming up, for instance when working graveyard shifts. The third is called “hedonic napping”, which simply comes down to wanting: there is an opportunity to doze during the day, and it's pleasant to nap.”
The primary task to undertake, therefore, is to think about your reason for napping. “Napping can be truly beneficial when night sleeping is being disrupted because of factors you cannot change – for example, when you are caring for an infant, or recovering from sickness or intense exercise,” states a sleep specialist. “Yet when you nap because your nighttime sleep seems unreliable or poor, that can be an indicator your need for sleep is not where it needs to be. In such situations, naps can become part of the issue, not the solution. Employ naps for brief periods to address immediate needs – the main goal should still be a robust and regular night’s sleep.”
The Ideal Nap Length
This means that daytime sleep must not be too extended to disrupt your overnight rest, and preferably shouldn’t take place post-3 p.m. (contingent on what time you retire in the evening). What duration is wise? Recommendations vary. From the most referenced research on the subject, experts found that space travelers experienced up to a 54% increase in attentiveness and a 34% boost in cognitive performance post a 26-minute snooze (technically, this included a six-minute long falling asleep phase). “I’d suggest setting an alarm for half an hour or less – the majority fall asleep within 10 minutes,” explains a sleep coach. “There’s a lot of recommendations about the optimal amount of minutes, yet that often make people feel more stressed than anything else – and the least helpful action you can do while aiming to nod off is to be anxious.”
Should you decide to nap for a longer period, bypass the 45-60 minute window that encourages sleep grogginess, that spaced-out feeling when you awaken. “The science indicates it's more effective to opt for a longer nap lasting 60-90 minutes than a medium-length one,” notes the expert. “Forty-five minutes is long enough to plunge you into deep sleep and you’re more likely to feel groggy when you get up – whereas if you take it slightly longer to an hour or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to finish a natural sleep cycle and should awaken feeling more alert. However, if you’re sleeping for 90 minutes, it will affect how you sleep that night.”
Finding the Perfect Snooze Setting
Regarding exact methodologies, recommendations vary. Certain specialists suggest using comparable habits you use to encourage a good night’s sleep: a quiet room, a supportive surface and as much darkness as you can manage. Alternatively, experts propose that you should merely snooze on a couch in the existing light is present – to prevent that groggy feeling and to “protect” your sleeping quarters as the place your mind associates with nighttime rest. “Sleep is notoriously difficult to will,” notes a sleep coach. “If you don’t have any drowsiness, it is more challenging to recline and essentially command yourself to fall asleep. You need some drive present to initiate sleep to begin with. For me, it's possible to take a nap during the day and awaken on my own alarm-free, however, what assists most folks is to look for an instance where they feel naturally feeling a bit drowsy and just gently ease into sleep.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and if your choices are limited – for example, if attempting to fit in some shut-eye on a train or in a soundproof office pod – there’s nothing wrong to employ a few tools. “Coaching elite athletes, I suggest that they avoid becoming accustomed to napping in bed, since they’re going to have|they will
