Tune into a few productivity podcasters, making it easy to convince yourself that dozing is a powerful tool: more than a sticking plaster after restless night, but a shortcut towards a better memory, better spirits and perhaps a faster 5k run time. Premier League soccer players do it regularly – as do concert pianists, fighters and media moguls. However, if you don't have a special sleep space or a job that allows daytime sleep, is it *truly* enough benefits to a burst of shut-eye to justify the effort? Can you find a dependable method to fall asleep fast? And can you truly ensure you will get up feeling better, not worse?
Exploring The Nap Motivation
“Experts note three main reasons for daytime sleep for many people,” explains a professor of sleep and circadian science professor. “One is what we call make-up sleep, which is the action you take when you’ve had a lack of sleep overnight. Another is preparatory napping, which involves preparing for insufficient sleep ahead, for example during graveyard shifts. The third is called “appetitive drive”, which simply comes down to wanting: you get a chance to nap in the afternoon, and it's enjoyable to indulge.”
The initial step to consider, therefore, is to examine why you want to nap. “Napping can be really helpful when nighttime sleep is being disrupted due to causes outside your control – for instance, if you’re a new parent, or if you are healing from sickness or intense exercise,” states a sleep specialist. “Yet when you’re napping as your sleep at night feels fragile or broken, that is frequently an indicator your body's sleep pressure is not at the level it needs to be. Under those circumstances, daytime sleep can turn into part of the issue, instead of the fix. Utilize daytime sleep as a short-term solution for short-term problems – the priority should still be a strong and predictable night’s sleep.”
The Perfect Nap Length
This implies that napping ought not to be long enough to affect your nighttime sleep, and ideally shouldn’t take place after about 3pm (depending on what time you go to bed in the evening). What duration is wise? Recommendations vary. From the most referenced research on the subject, experts noted that crew members experienced up to a 54% increase in alertness plus a 34% rise in cognitive performance post a 26-minute snooze (to be precise, this included a six-minute nodding-off period). “My advice is setting an alarm for half an hour or less – the majority fall asleep within 10 minutes,” says a sleep expert. “There’s a lot of guidance out there regarding the ideal number for sleeping, but that tends to cause people to feel more anxious above all – and the most counterproductive thing one can do when trying to nod off is worry about it.”
If you’re going to sleep for longer, avoid the 45-60 minute window that induces sleep grogginess, that foggy state when you wake. “Research would say it's more effective to have a longer nap of one to one and a half hours rather than a mid-length nap,” explains the sleep scientist. “Forty-five minutes is sufficient to send you into a deep sleep stage making it more likely to feel sluggish upon awakening – however, if you extend it a bit longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you will probably to be completing a full cycle and will probably wake up feeling more alert. But if you’re sleeping for an hour and a half, it may impact your sleep later that night.”
Establishing the Right Snooze Setting
As for exact methodologies, advice differs. Certain specialists recommend employing similar routines you use to promote restful sleep: a silent space, a supportive surface and minimal light as possible. Some advise that one could simply nap on a couch in the existing light is present – to prevent post-nap grogginess and to “protect” your sleeping quarters as the place your mind associates with *real* sleep. “Sleep is quite challenging to will,” notes an expert. “If you don’t have the urge to sleep, it is tougher to lie down and basically command yourself to nod off. There’s got to be a natural inclination there to bring the sleep on to begin with. For me, it's possible to nap in full light and awaken on my own without an alarm, however, what assists many individuals is to look for a moment that they’re naturally somewhat sleepy and just gently relax into it.”
Experimentation is key, and when your choices are limited – such as, if attempting to grab some shut-eye on a train or in a work pod – there’s nothing wrong to employ some accessories. “In my work with footballers, I suggest that they avoid becoming accustomed to napping in bed, because they’re going to have|they will
