Hear plenty of performance gurus, and it’s simple to believe that napping is a superpower: rather than a band-aid after restless night, but a shortcut to improved recall, better spirits and possibly a faster 5k run time. Professional athletes do it regularly – as do professional piano players, UFC champions & business leaders. However, if you haven’t got a special sleep space or employment that permits daytime sleep, are there *really* worthwhile perks to a quick nap to justify the kerfuffle? Is there a surefire technique to fall asleep fast? Furthermore, can you truly ensure you will get up feeling better, instead of groggy?
Exploring Your Drive to Snooze
“Experts note three key drivers for napping for many people,” notes a professor of sleep and circadian science professor. “One is known as make-up sleep, which is what you do following insufficient sleep the previous night. The second is pre-emptive sleep, when you are preparing for a sleep deficit coming up, for example when working overnight shifts. Finally, there's “appetitive drive”, which simply boils down to wanting: you have an opportunity to doze in the daytime, and it's enjoyable to do it.”
The primary task to consider, therefore, is to think about why you want to nap. “Naps can be really helpful when overnight rest is being disrupted for reasons beyond your control – for example, for a parent of a newborn, or if you are healing from illness or intense exercise,” states a sleep expert. “Yet when you’re napping because your sleep at night feels fragile or poor, that is frequently a signal your need for sleep is not as strong as required. In such situations, daytime sleep can turn into part of the issue, not the solution. Use napping as a temporary measure for temporary issues – the focus ought to remain a robust and regular sleep at night.”
The Perfect Snooze Time
This means that napping ought not to be sufficiently lengthy to disrupt your sleep at night, and ideally shouldn’t take place after about 3pm (depending on the time you sleep at night). What's a reasonable length? Recommendations vary. In one of the most-cited studies regarding daytime sleep, researchers at Nasa discovered that crew members had a boost of up to 54% in attentiveness and a 34% boost in task performance post a 26-minute snooze (in detail, this counted a six-minute long falling asleep phase). “I’d suggest setting an alarm for 20-30 minutes – most people are asleep within 10 minutes,” notes a sleep expert. “There’s a lot of recommendations about the optimal amount of minutes, yet that often make people feel more anxious above all – and the least helpful action you can do when trying to fall asleep is to be anxious.”
If you’re going to sleep for longer, bypass the period between 45 and 60 minutes that promotes sleep grogginess, that disoriented sensation when you wake. “The science would say it's more effective to take a lengthier snooze lasting 60-90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” notes the sleep scientist. “Forty-five minutes is long enough to put you into deep sleep and you’re more likely to feel sluggish when you get up – whereas if you nap for slightly longer to a full sleep cycle, you’re likely to be on the end a full cycle and should wake up feeling more rejuvenated. Though if you're dozing for 90 minutes, it will affect how you sleep later that night.”
Finding the Right Snooze Setting
As for precise methods, recommendations vary. Some experts propose adopting similar routines you use to encourage a good night’s sleep: a silent space, a supportive surface and maximum darkness as you can manage. Others suggest that one could merely snooze on a couch in whatever light is present – to prevent sleep inertia and to maintain your bedroom as the place your brain links with proper sleep. “Sleep is something really tricky to will,” says an expert. “Lacking the urge to sleep, it is tougher to get comfortable and practically tell yourself to fall asleep. You need a natural inclination present to initiate sleep to begin with. Personally, I can often nap in broad daylight and awaken on my own alarm-free, though, what aids most folks is to look for a time when they are naturally slightly tired and just gently allow sleep to come.”
Experimentation is key, and should your choices are limited – for example, when aiming to squeeze in a quick nap during a commute or in a work pod – there’s nothing wrong with bringing a few tools. “When I’m working with professional sportspeople, I recommend that they avoid becoming accustomed to sleeping in their bed, as they’re going to have|they will
