Hear enough self-improvement experts, and you'll be simple to believe that dozing is a secret weapon: rather than a quick fix following restless night, but a path to a better memory, improved mood and maybe improved athletic performance. Elite athletes swear by it – as do concert pianists, fighters & media moguls. But if you haven’t got a dedicated nap-room or employment that permits daytime sleep, is it *truly* sufficient advantages to a burst of shut-eye for it to be worth the hassle? Can you find a surefire technique to get to sleep quickly enough? Plus, is it possible to honestly promise you’ll wake up feeling improved, not worse?
Understanding The Nap Motivation
“There are three primary motivations for napping for many people,” says a professor of circadian rhythm specialist. “The first is what we call compensatory napping, that is the action you take following a lack of sleep the night before. The second is prophylactic napping, where you are preparing for insufficient sleep ahead, such as when working graveyard shifts. The third is called “hedonic napping”, which essentially boils down to desire: you have a chance to nap in the afternoon, and it feels nice to do it.”
The initial step to do, therefore, is to examine your reason for napping. “Daytime sleep can be truly beneficial when overnight rest is disturbed because of factors outside your control – such as, for caring for an infant, or if you are healing after being ill or intense exercise,” states a sleep physiologist. “But if you’re napping since your sleep at night is unstable or poor, that’s often a signal your body's sleep pressure is not as strong as it needs to be. In those cases, napping can become part of the problem, rather than the answer. Use napping as a temporary measure to address immediate needs – the main goal should still be a robust and regular sleep at night.”
The Optimal Nap Length
This means that naps shouldn’t be long enough to interfere with your nighttime sleep, and ideally should not occur in the late afternoon (based on what time you retire overnight). What duration is wise? Advice differs. From a prominent study on the subject, space agency scientists discovered that space travelers had improvements of over 50% in alertness and a 34% increase in task performance post a 26-minute snooze (in detail, this included a six-minute long nodding-off period). “I recommend setting an alarm for half an hour or less – the majority fall asleep in under ten minutes,” explains a specialist. “There’s a lot of advice around regarding the optimal amount of minutes, yet that often cause people to feel more stressed than anything else – and the least helpful action you can do while aiming to fall asleep is to be anxious.”
If you’re going to sleep for longer, avoid the 45 to 60 minute range that promotes that sluggish feeling, that spaced-out feeling upon waking. “The science would say it's more effective to have a lengthier snooze lasting 60-90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” says the professor. “Forty-five minutes is enough time to plunge you into deep sleep making it more likely to feel sluggish upon awakening – however, if you take it slightly longer to a full sleep cycle, it's likely you'll to be completing a natural sleep cycle and will probably awaken feeling more rejuvenated. But if you’re sleeping for a long period, it can influence the quality of your sleep that night.”
Creating the Right Sleep Space
Regarding precise methods, recommendations vary. A few professionals recommend using similar routines you’d use to promote restful sleep: a quiet room, a supportive surface and as much darkness as is feasible. Others suggest that it's fine to merely snooze on the sofa with ambient lighting is available – both to discourage post-nap grogginess and to “protect” your sleeping quarters as the place you associate with *real* sleep. “Napping is something really tricky to force,” says an expert. “Lacking any drowsiness, it is more challenging to lie down and practically tell yourself to nod off. There’s got to be some drive present to initiate sleep in the first place. I can usually nap in full light and naturally wake up without a timer, but what helps most folks is to wait for a time when they are naturally feeling a bit drowsy and calmly allow sleep to come.”
It’s worth experimenting, and should you have few options – for example, if attempting to squeeze in 40 winks while traveling or in a soundproof office pod – it is perfectly fine to use a few tools. “In my work with elite athletes, I suggest that they don’t get used to sleeping in their bed, because they’re going to have|they will
