Listen to a few performance podcasters, making it tempting to convince yourself that napping is a powerful tool: more than a band-aid after a bad night’s sleep, but a path to improved recall, a brighter outlook and perhaps quicker running times. Premier League athletes do it regularly – as do concert pianists, fighters and media moguls. However, if you don't have a special sleep space or a job that permits daytime sleep, are there *really* worthwhile perks to a short sleep to justify the effort? Does there exist a surefire technique to get to sleep quickly enough? Plus, is it possible to honestly promise you’ll wake up feeling improved, rather than worse?
Exploring The Nap Motivation
“There are three main reasons for taking a nap in the adult population,” says a professor of sleep and circadian science researcher. “The first is known as recovery napping, which is what happens when you’ve had poor sleep the previous night. The second is prophylactic napping, when you are preparing for insufficient sleep in the future, for example if you’re working overnight shifts. The third is called “hedonic napping”, which basically comes down to the wish: there is a moment to nap in the afternoon, and it's enjoyable to nap.”
The initial step to do, so, is to examine your nap motivation. “Napping can be genuinely useful when night sleeping is disturbed for reasons beyond your control – such as, if you’re a parent of a newborn, or if you are healing from sickness or heavy physical exertion,” says a sleep expert. “However, if you nap because your night sleep feels fragile or broken, that can be an indicator your sleep drive is not as strong as it needs to be. In such situations, naps can become part of the problem, instead of the fix. Use napping as a temporary measure to address immediate needs – the priority should still be a strong and predictable sleep at night.”
The Perfect Snooze Time
This means that naps shouldn’t be long enough to disrupt your sleep at night, and ideally are not recommended in the late afternoon (contingent on when you sleep overnight). How long is sensible? Guidelines are mixed. From the most referenced research about napping, space agency scientists found that space travelers had improvements of over 50% in alertness and a 34% increase in cognitive performance following a nap of 26 minutes (technically, this involved an initial six-minute falling asleep phase). “I recommend setting an alarm for half an hour or less – many individuals doze off quickly,” notes a sleep coach. “There’s a lot of guidance out there regarding the ideal number for sleeping, however, that can lead individuals to become more stressed than anything – and the most counterproductive thing one can do when trying to fall asleep is worry about it.”
If you plan to take an extended nap, bypass the 45 to 60 minute range that induces sleep grogginess, that foggy state upon waking. “Studies suggests it is preferable to opt for a longer nap of 60 to 90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” says the sleep scientist. “45 minutes is sufficient to plunge you into slow-wave sleep making it more likely to feel groggy upon awakening – while if you nap for slightly longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you’re likely to be completing a full cycle and are likely to wake up feeling more refreshed. But if you nap for a long period, it may impact the quality of your sleep that night.”
Establishing an Ideal Snooze Setting
As for specific techniques, advice differs. Some experts recommend adopting comparable habits you use to encourage a good night’s sleep: a silent space, a comfortable bed and as much darkness as is feasible. Alternatively, experts propose that it's fine to merely snooze on the sofa with ambient lighting is available – to prevent sleep inertia and to “protect” your bedroom as the environment your brain links with nighttime rest. “Napping is quite challenging to force,” explains an expert. “If you don’t have any sleepiness, it is tougher to recline and essentially tell yourself to go to sleep. There must be some sleep pressure available to bring the sleep on initially. For me, it's possible to nap in full light and naturally wake up without an alarm, however, what assists a lot of people is to wait for an instance that they’re naturally slightly tired and then simply relax into it.”
Experimentation is key, and should you have few options – such as, if attempting to squeeze in some shut-eye on a train or at the office – it is perfectly fine to use sleep aids. “In my work with footballers, I advise that they don’t get used to sleeping in their bed, because they’re going to have|they will
