Hear plenty of productivity podcasters, making it easy to think that a nap is a secret weapon: more than a quick fix after restless night, but a route towards improved recall, a brighter outlook and perhaps quicker running times. Elite soccer players swear by it – and so are professional piano players, UFC champions and high-profile executives. However, if you lack a dedicated nap-room or a job that permits frequent naps, can there *honestly* worthwhile perks to a short sleep to justify the effort? Is there a dependable method to nod off promptly? Furthermore, can you really guarantee you will arise feeling refreshed, not worse?
Understanding The Reasons for Napping
“We can identify three key drivers for napping for many people,” explains a leading circadian rhythm researcher. “One is termed compensatory napping, which is what happens when you’ve had a lack of sleep overnight. Secondly, there's pre-emptive sleep, which involves pre-empting a sleep deficit ahead, for instance when working overnight shifts. The third reason is “hedonic napping”, which basically boils down to wanting: there is a moment to doze in the afternoon, and it's enjoyable to indulge.”
The first thing to consider, then, is to examine your reason for napping. “Daytime sleep can be really helpful when nighttime sleep gets interrupted for reasons beyond your control – such as, if you’re caring for an infant, or you’re recovering from sickness or intense exercise,” says a sleep expert. “However, if you take a nap because your night sleep seems unreliable or broken, that’s often a signal your sleep drive is not where it should be. In those cases, naps can become a contributing factor, not the solution. Use napping for brief periods to address immediate needs – the focus must always be a strong and predictable night’s sleep.”
The Perfect Nap Length
This means that daytime sleep shouldn’t be long enough to affect your overnight rest, and best are not recommended post-3 p.m. (depending on the time you sleep overnight). How long is sensible? Advice differs. From a prominent study on the subject, researchers at Nasa discovered that crew members had improvements of over 50% in attentiveness plus a 34% rise in performance after a 26-minute nap (technically, this involved a six-minute falling asleep phase). “I’d suggest setting a timer for 20 to 30 minutes – many individuals doze off within 10 minutes,” notes a specialist. “There is plenty of guidance out there regarding the ideal number for sleeping, however, that can cause people to feel more anxious above all – and the least helpful action one can do while aiming to get to sleep is to be anxious.”
If you’re going to sleep for longer, steer clear of the 45-60 minute window that induces sleep grogginess, that foggy state upon waking. “Studies suggests it is preferable to opt for a lengthier snooze of 60 to 90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” explains the sleep scientist. “Three-quarters of an hour is enough time to send you into slow-wave sleep and you’re more likely to feel disoriented upon awakening – while if you extend it a little longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you will probably to finish a natural sleep cycle and should wake up feeling more rejuvenated. However, if you're dozing for a long period, it will affect how you sleep later that night.”
Finding the Right Nap Environment
When it comes to exact methodologies, recommendations vary. A few professionals suggest employing comparable habits you use to promote restful sleep: a peaceful area, a comfortable bed and as much darkness as you can manage. Others suggest that you should just doze on the sofa in the existing light is available – to prevent sleep inertia and to “protect” your sleeping quarters as the space your mind associates with *real* sleep. “Napping is quite challenging to will,” says a sleep coach. “Lacking any sleepiness, it is tougher to recline and essentially instruct yourself to fall asleep. There’s got to be some drive available to start the process in the first place. Personally, I can often take a nap in full light and naturally wake up alarm-free, however, what assists many individuals is to wait for an instance when they are naturally feeling a bit drowsy and then simply allow sleep to come.”
It’s worth experimenting, and if options are scarce – for example, if you’re trying to squeeze in a quick nap while traveling or in a soundproof office pod – it's acceptable to use a few tools. “Coaching elite athletes, I recommend that they not rely on napping in bed, since they’re going to have|they will
