Hear a few productivity gurus, and you'll be tempting to convince yourself that dozing is a powerful tool: more than a quick fix after restless night, but a path to a better memory, a brighter outlook and maybe quicker running times. Premier League athletes do it regularly – along with concert pianists, fighters and media moguls. However, if you don't have a special sleep space or a career that permits regular snoozing, are there *really* worthwhile perks to a quick nap for it to be worth the kerfuffle? Can you find a reliable way to nod off promptly? Plus, is it possible to honestly promise you’ll wake up feeling refreshed, not worse?
Exploring Your Drive to Snooze
“Experts note three key drivers for taking a nap among most adults,” notes a professor of circadian rhythm specialist. “The first is known as make-up sleep, which is what you do following a lack of sleep the night before. Another is pre-emptive sleep, which involves anticipating a sleep deficit in the future, for instance when working graveyard shifts. The third is called “hedonic napping”, which essentially is about desire: there is a chance to nap in the afternoon, and it's pleasant to do it.”
The initial step to do, so, is consider your reason for napping. “Daytime sleep can be truly beneficial when nighttime sleep gets interrupted due to causes you cannot change – for instance, if you’re caring for an infant, or recovering from sickness or strenuous activity,” explains a sleep expert. “But if you’re napping as your sleep at night seems unreliable or poor, that’s often an indicator your need for sleep is not as strong as it should be. In such situations, naps can become part of the issue, not the solution. Utilize daytime sleep as a temporary measure to address immediate needs – the priority should still be a robust and regular overnight rest.”
The Perfect Nap Duration
This implies that napping shouldn’t be too extended to interfere with your sleep at night, and best should not occur in the late afternoon (depending on what time you sleep in the evening). What's a reasonable length? Recommendations vary. From the most-cited studies on the subject, researchers at Nasa found that space travelers had improvements of over 50% in attentiveness plus a 34% rise in task performance following a nap of 26 minutes (in detail, this involved a six-minute long falling asleep phase). “I recommend setting a timer for 20 to 30 minutes – many individuals doze off quickly,” explains a specialist. “There is plenty of guidance out there about the ideal number for sleeping, however, that can make people feel more anxious above all – and the most counterproductive thing you can possibly do when attempting to get to sleep is to stress over it.”
Should you decide to nap for a longer period, steer clear of the period between 45 and 60 minutes that induces sleep inertia, that spaced-out feeling upon waking. “The science suggests it is preferable to have an extended nap lasting 60-90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” notes the expert. “Forty-five minutes is long enough to send you into deep sleep and it is more probable to feel sluggish upon awakening – while if you nap for slightly longer to an hour or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to finish a natural sleep cycle and are likely to awaken feeling more rejuvenated. However, if you're dozing for a long period, it can influence your sleep that night.”
Finding the Perfect Snooze Setting
Regarding exact methodologies, suggestions are diverse. A few professionals propose employing similar routines you’d use to foster a good night’s sleep: a peaceful area, a supportive surface and minimal light as possible. Others suggest that one could merely snooze on a couch with ambient lighting is present – to avoid post-nap grogginess and to preserve your sleeping quarters as the place you associate with nighttime rest. “Napping is quite challenging to force,” notes a sleep coach. “Lacking any sleepiness, it becomes harder to recline and practically command yourself to fall asleep. There’s got to be some drive present to initiate sleep initially. I can usually nap during the day and awaken on my own alarm-free, however, what assists many individuals is to anticipate an instance where they feel naturally somewhat sleepy and just gently relax into it.”
Experimentation is key, and should your choices are limited – for example, if you’re trying to squeeze in a quick nap on a train or in a soundproof office pod – there’s nothing wrong to use a few tools. “In my work with footballers, I suggest that they avoid becoming accustomed to sleeping in their bed, since they’re going to have|they will
