Tune into plenty of self-improvement experts, and you'll be easy to convince yourself that a nap is a powerful tool: more than a quick fix following restless night, but a shortcut to a better memory, better spirits and possibly quicker running times. Elite athletes swear by it – as do musicians, UFC champions and high-profile executives. Yet, when you lack a dedicated nap-room or a job that allows daytime sleep, are there *really* enough benefits to a burst of shut-eye to merit the hassle? Can you find a reliable way to get to sleep quickly enough? Plus, is it possible to truly ensure you’ll wake up feeling improved, not worse?
Understanding The Reasons for Napping
“Experts note three primary motivations for daytime sleep in the adult population,” notes a leading circadian rhythm professor. “Firstly, there's known as make-up sleep, essentially the action you take after experiencing a lack of sleep the previous night. The second is preparatory napping, where you are preparing for a sleep deficit ahead, such as during overnight shifts. Finally, there's “appetitive drive”, which essentially comes down to desire: there is a chance to doze during the day, and it's enjoyable to nap.”
The primary task to consider, then, is to examine your reason for napping. “Naps can be genuinely useful when nighttime sleep gets interrupted because of factors you cannot change – for instance, when you are a parent of a newborn, or you’re recovering after being ill or heavy physical exertion,” states a sleep expert. “But if you take a nap since your night sleep is unstable or broken, that’s often a sign your body's sleep pressure is not as strong as it should be. In such situations, daytime sleep can turn into part of the issue, not the solution. Employ naps as a short-term solution to address immediate needs – the focus must always be a strong and predictable sleep at night.”
The Ideal Nap Duration
This means that daytime sleep shouldn’t be too extended to affect your overnight rest, and ideally should not occur in the late afternoon (contingent on the time you go to bed at night). What's a reasonable length? Advice differs. Among the most-cited studies on the subject, space agency scientists noted that crew members showed improvements of over 50% in attentiveness and a 34% boost in cognitive performance after a 26-minute nap (to be precise, this involved an initial six-minute sleep onset time). “My advice is setting a timer for half an hour or less – the majority doze off in under ten minutes,” notes a sleep expert. “You'll find much advice around concerning the perfect length for sleeping, yet that often cause people to feel more worried than anything – and the least helpful action one can do when attempting to get to sleep is to be anxious.”
If you plan to sleep for longer, avoid the 45-60 minute window that promotes that sluggish feeling, that foggy state upon waking. “Studies indicates it is preferable to opt for a longer nap of one to one and a half hours than a medium-length one,” says the expert. “Forty-five minutes is sufficient to plunge you into a deep sleep stage and it is more probable to feel groggy when you wake up – whereas if you extend it slightly longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you’re likely to be on the end of a sleep cycle and will probably awaken feeling more rejuvenated. But if you're dozing for 90 minutes, it can influence your sleep later that night.”
Establishing the Right Sleep Space
Regarding specific techniques, advice differs. A few professionals recommend employing the same protocol one would use to promote a good night’s sleep: a quiet room, a comfortable bed and maximum darkness as possible. Others suggest that one could just doze on a couch with ambient lighting is present – to avoid that groggy feeling and to preserve your bedroom as the space your brain links with proper sleep. “Sleep is something really tricky to will,” says a specialist. “If you don’t have any sleepiness, it becomes harder to recline and basically tell yourself to nod off. There must be some sleep pressure present to bring the sleep on to begin with. I can usually snooze in full light and wake up naturally without a timer, though, what aids many individuals is to look for a moment where they feel naturally feeling a bit drowsy 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 soundproof office pod – it's acceptable to use sleep aids. “In my work with elite athletes, I recommend that they not rely on napping in bed, because they’re going to have|they will
