Tune into plenty of self-improvement gurus, and it’s easy to convince yourself that dozing is a superpower: not just a quick fix following poor sleep, but a shortcut towards improved recall, improved mood and possibly improved athletic performance. Elite athletes are all at it – and so are concert pianists, UFC champions & high-profile executives. However, if you don't have a room for napping or a career that permits frequent naps, can there *honestly* sufficient advantages to a short sleep for it to be worth the kerfuffle? Is there a surefire technique to nod off promptly? Furthermore, can you really guarantee you’ll wake up feeling refreshed, not worse?
Understanding The Reasons for Napping
“We can identify three key drivers for daytime sleep for many people,” says an expert sleep science professor. “One is termed compensatory napping, which is what you do after experiencing poor sleep the previous night. Secondly, there's pre-emptive sleep, when you are anticipating insufficient sleep in the future, such as when working overnight shifts. The third reason is “pleasure-based sleep”, which simply is about the wish: you have a chance to doze in the daytime, and it's pleasant to do it.”
The initial step to consider, then, is to think about your reason for napping. “Napping can be really helpful when night sleeping is disturbed for reasons outside your control – for example, for a parent of a newborn, or if you are healing from illness or intense exercise,” says a sleep expert. “However, if you take a nap because your night sleep seems unreliable or broken, that can be a sign your sleep drive is not at the level it needs to be. In those cases, naps can become part of the issue, not the solution. Use napping as a short-term solution to address immediate needs – the priority must always be a solid and consistent sleep at night.”
The Optimal Snooze Time
This implies that napping must not be sufficiently lengthy to interfere with your nighttime sleep, and preferably should not occur post-3 p.m. (based on what time you go to bed in the evening). What duration is wise? Recommendations vary. From the most referenced research on the subject, researchers at Nasa discovered that astronauts showed improvements of over 50% in vigilance plus a 34% rise in task performance post a 26-minute snooze (in detail, this included a six-minute long falling asleep phase). “My advice is setting a timer for 20 to 30 minutes – many individuals doze off in under ten minutes,” says a sleep coach. “You'll find much advice around concerning the ideal number for sleeping, yet that often make people feel more anxious than anything else – and the least helpful action you can do when trying to nod off is to be anxious.”
If you plan to nap for a longer period, steer clear of the period between 45 and 60 minutes that promotes sleep inertia, that spaced-out feeling when you awaken. “The science indicates it is preferable to opt for a longer nap of one to one and a half hours compared to a medium-length nap,” notes the sleep scientist. “Forty-five minutes is sufficient to put you into a deep sleep stage and you’re more likely to feel sluggish when you wake up – whereas if you nap for a little longer to a full sleep cycle, you will probably to finish a natural sleep cycle and are likely to get up feeling more refreshed. Though if you nap for 90 minutes, it can influence the quality of your sleep later that night.”
Finding the Right Snooze Setting
When it comes to exact methodologies, suggestions are diverse. A few professionals propose using comparable habits you use to encourage quality nighttime sleep: a peaceful area, a cozy bed and maximum darkness as is feasible. Alternatively, experts propose that you should merely snooze on the sofa with ambient lighting happens to be around – to avoid sleep inertia and to maintain your bedroom as the place your brain links with nighttime rest. “Napping is quite challenging to command,” notes an expert. “Without the urge to sleep, it is tougher to get comfortable and practically instruct yourself to go to sleep. You need some drive available to start the process in the first place. I can usually snooze during the day and awaken on my own alarm-free, but what helps most folks is to wait for a moment where they feel naturally slightly tired and calmly allow sleep to come.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and should you have few options – for instance, if attempting to fit in 40 winks during a commute or in a work pod – it is perfectly fine with bringing sleep aids. “When I’m working with professional sportspeople, I advise that they avoid becoming accustomed to sleeping in their bed, because they’re going to have|they will
