Listen to a few productivity gurus, and it’s easy to think that a nap is a powerful tool: more than a quick fix following poor sleep, but a route towards improved recall, improved mood and maybe improved athletic performance. Elite athletes swear by it – along with concert pianists, UFC champions and media moguls. Yet, when you don't have a special sleep space or a career that encourages daytime sleep, are there *really* worthwhile perks to a quick nap for it to be worth the effort? Does there exist a surefire technique to fall asleep fast? Plus, is it possible to truly ensure you will get up feeling better, rather than worse?
Understanding Your Drive to Snooze
“Experts note three key drivers for daytime sleep among most adults,” notes an expert sleep and circadian science professor. “Firstly, there's known as recovery napping, essentially what you do after experiencing insufficient sleep the previous night. Another is preparatory napping, when you are pre-empting sleep loss ahead, such as during overnight shifts. The third is called “pleasure-based sleep”, which essentially is about desire: you get a moment to doze during the day, and it's enjoyable to indulge.”
The first thing to undertake, therefore, is to think about your reason for napping. “Naps can be truly beneficial when nighttime sleep gets interrupted for reasons beyond your control – such as, for a parent of a newborn, or you’re recovering from illness or heavy physical exertion,” says a sleep physiologist. “But if you’re napping as your sleep at night seems unreliable or poor, that is frequently a sign your body's sleep pressure is not as strong as required. In such situations, naps can become part of the problem, instead of the fix. Employ naps as a temporary measure for temporary issues – the main goal should still be a robust and regular sleep at night.”
The Perfect Nap Length
Therefore that naps must not be too extended to interfere with your nighttime sleep, and ideally should not occur in the late afternoon (based on when you sleep overnight). What duration is wise? Advice differs. From a prominent study about napping, space agency scientists discovered that space travelers had improvements of over 50% in alertness plus a 34% rise in cognitive performance following a nap of 26 minutes (in detail, this involved an initial six-minute falling asleep phase). “My advice is using an alarm for half an hour or less – most people doze off quickly,” notes a sleep expert. “There is plenty of guidance out there regarding the ideal number for sleeping, but that tends to cause people to feel more anxious than anything – and the worst thing you can do when trying to fall asleep is worry about it.”
If you plan to take an extended nap, avoid the 45 to 60 minute range that induces sleep inertia, that spaced-out feeling when you wake. “The science suggests it's more effective to opt for a lengthier snooze lasting 60-90 minutes than a medium-length one,” explains the professor. “45 minutes is sufficient to plunge you into slow-wave sleep and it is more probable to feel disoriented when you wake up – while if you nap for a little longer to a full sleep cycle, you’re likely to be completing of a sleep cycle and are likely to get up feeling more alert. Though if you're dozing for 90 minutes, it may impact how you sleep that night.”
Creating the Right Sleep Space
When it comes to precise methods, advice differs. Certain specialists propose adopting comparable habits you use to encourage restful sleep: a silent space, a comfortable bed and maximum darkness as possible. Alternatively, experts propose that it's fine to merely snooze in a chair in whatever light is present – to prevent that groggy feeling and to preserve your sleeping quarters as the environment your mind associates with *real* sleep. “Falling asleep is notoriously difficult to will,” says an expert. “Without any sleepiness, it is tougher to lie down and practically instruct yourself to nod off. There must be a natural inclination there to start the process in the first place. Personally, I can often snooze in broad daylight and awaken on my own alarm-free, though, what aids many individuals is to anticipate a moment where they feel naturally slightly tired and then simply ease into sleep.”
It’s worth experimenting, and if your choices are limited – such as, if you’re trying to grab a quick nap while traveling or in a work pod – there’s nothing wrong to use a few tools. “In my work with footballers, I suggest that they not rely on napping in bed, since they’re going to have|they will
