Hear a few performance experts, and it’s tempting to convince yourself that dozing is a powerful tool: rather than a band-aid following poor sleep, but a path to improved recall, better spirits and maybe quicker running times. Elite athletes do it regularly – and so are professional piano players, UFC champions & high-profile executives. However, if you haven’t got a room for napping or a career that allows regular snoozing, can there *honestly* enough benefits to a quick nap for it to be worth the hassle? Does there exist a surefire technique to get to sleep quickly enough? Furthermore, can you really guarantee you will get up feeling better, not worse?
Exploring Your Reasons for Napping
“Experts note three main reasons for napping in the adult population,” notes a professor of circadian rhythm specialist. “The first is what we call compensatory napping, that is the action you take after experiencing a lack of sleep the previous night. Another is preparatory napping, when you are preparing for a sleep deficit in the future, such as when working on night shifts. The third is called “pleasure-based sleep”, which simply comes down to wanting: there is an opportunity to sleep in the afternoon, and it's enjoyable to do it.”
The first thing to consider, therefore, is consider why you want to nap. “Naps can be truly beneficial when nighttime sleep is being disrupted for reasons beyond your control – for example, when you are a new parent, or if you are healing from illness or heavy physical exertion,” states a sleep expert. “But if you’re napping as your night sleep feels fragile or broken, that is frequently a sign your sleep drive is not as strong as it needs to be. Under those circumstances, naps can become a contributing factor, instead of the fix. Employ naps as a temporary measure to address immediate needs – the priority should still be a robust and regular night’s sleep.”
The Optimal Snooze Time
This means that napping must not be sufficiently lengthy to affect your nighttime sleep, and best shouldn’t take place in the late afternoon (depending on what time you sleep at night). How long is sensible? Recommendations vary. In one of the most-cited studies regarding daytime sleep, space agency scientists noted that space travelers had a boost of up to 54% in vigilance and a 34% boost in performance post a 26-minute snooze (technically, this involved a six-minute sleep onset time). “I’d suggest using an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – many individuals doze off in under ten minutes,” notes a sleep expert. “There’s a lot of advice around about the perfect length of time, but that tends to make people feel more worried than anything – and the least helpful action one can do when trying to nod off is to be anxious.”
If you plan to nap for a longer period, avoid the 45-60 minute window that promotes sleep inertia, that foggy state when you wake. “Research indicates it’s better to have an extended nap of one to one and a half hours compared to a medium-length nap,” notes the expert. “45 minutes is enough time to plunge you into slow-wave sleep making it more likely to feel sluggish upon awakening – however, if you take it slightly longer to an hour or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to finish a full cycle and are likely to wake up feeling more rejuvenated. Though if you’re sleeping for an hour and a half, it can influence your sleep that night.”
Finding an Ideal Snooze Setting
As for specific techniques, advice differs. A few professionals recommend employing comparable habits one would use to foster quality nighttime sleep: a silent space, a comfortable bed and minimal light as you can manage. Others suggest that one could just doze on the sofa with ambient lighting is available – to prevent sleep inertia and to preserve your bed as the place you associate with nighttime rest. “Sleep is notoriously difficult to will,” says a sleep coach. “Without any sleepiness, it is tougher to lie down and practically tell yourself to fall asleep. You need some drive there to start the process initially. I can usually nap in broad daylight and naturally wake up without a timer, though, what aids a lot of people is to look for an instance when they are naturally somewhat sleepy and calmly relax into it.”
Experimentation is key, and if your choices are limited – for example, if you’re trying to squeeze in 40 winks during a commute or in a work pod – there’s nothing wrong to use a few tools. “Coaching professional sportspeople, I suggest that they not rely on napping in bed, because they’re going to have|they will
