Tune into enough performance gurus, and you'll be tempting to convince yourself that napping is a powerful tool: not just a band-aid after poor sleep, but a shortcut to a better memory, improved mood and perhaps a faster 5k run time. Professional soccer players are all at it – as do concert pianists, fighters and business leaders. But if you haven’t got a dedicated nap-room or employment that permits regular snoozing, is it *truly* worthwhile perks to a quick nap for it to be worth the kerfuffle? Does there exist a dependable method to nod off promptly? Furthermore, can you truly ensure you will get up feeling refreshed, not worse?
Exploring The Drive to Snooze
“We can identify three key drivers for taking a nap in the adult population,” explains a professor of sleep and circadian science specialist. “One is what we call make-up sleep, essentially what you do after experiencing a lack of sleep overnight. Another is pre-emptive sleep, where you are preparing for sleep loss ahead, such as if you’re working graveyard shifts. Finally, there's “pleasure-based sleep”, which simply boils down to the wish: you get a chance to doze in the afternoon, and it's enjoyable to do it.”
The initial step to undertake, therefore, is to examine why you want to nap. “Napping can be truly beneficial when nighttime sleep is being disrupted for reasons you cannot change – for instance, for a parent of a newborn, or you’re recovering from illness or heavy physical exertion,” says a sleep expert. “But if you nap since your night sleep seems unreliable or unreliable, that can be a sign your body's sleep pressure is not where required. In those cases, naps can become part of the issue, rather than the answer. Use napping for brief periods to address immediate needs – the priority must always be a robust and regular sleep at night.”
The Optimal Nap Duration
This implies that napping must not be sufficiently lengthy to affect your sleep at night, and ideally are not recommended in the late afternoon (based on when you retire overnight). What duration is wise? Guidelines are mixed. From the most-cited studies about napping, experts discovered that astronauts experienced a boost of up to 54% in alertness plus a 34% rise in cognitive performance following a nap of 26 minutes (technically, this counted a six-minute sleep onset time). “My advice is setting a timer for half an hour or less – many individuals fall asleep quickly,” notes a specialist. “There is plenty of recommendations about the perfect length of minutes, but that tends to cause people to feel more anxious than anything else – and the least helpful action you can do while aiming to nod off is to stress over it.”
If you’re going to sleep for longer, avoid the 45-60 minute window that induces sleep grogginess, that disoriented sensation when you awaken. “Research indicates it's more effective to have an extended nap of one to one and a half hours rather than a mid-length nap,” says the expert. “Forty-five minutes is sufficient to plunge you into slow-wave sleep making it more likely to feel groggy upon awakening – while if you nap for a little longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you will probably to be on the end a natural sleep cycle and are likely to get up feeling more refreshed. Though if you’re sleeping for a long period, it can influence the quality of your sleep later that night.”
Finding an Ideal Snooze Setting
When it comes to exact methodologies, advice differs. Some experts suggest adopting similar routines one would use to encourage a good night’s sleep: a peaceful area, a supportive surface and maximum darkness as is feasible. Others suggest that one could simply nap on the sofa in whatever light is present – to avoid that groggy feeling and to “protect” your bedroom as the place your brain links with *real* sleep. “Sleep is something really tricky to will,” explains an expert. “If you don’t have any sleepiness, it is tougher to lie down and basically command yourself to go to sleep. You need some drive there to initiate sleep initially. I can usually nap during the day and wake up naturally alarm-free, however, what assists most folks is to look for an instance when they are naturally somewhat sleepy and then simply relax into it.”
Experimentation is key, and if your choices are limited – such as, if you’re trying to grab 40 winks while traveling or in a soundproof office pod – it's acceptable with bringing sleep aids. “When I’m working with elite athletes, I recommend that they don’t get used to their own bed for naps, as they’re going to have|they will
