Tune into a few productivity experts, and it’s tempting to convince yourself that napping is a secret weapon: rather than a band-aid following restless night, but a shortcut to a better memory, a brighter outlook and possibly quicker running times. Elite athletes do it regularly – along with concert pianists, mixed martial artists & media moguls. Yet, when you don't have a dedicated nap-room or employment that allows frequent naps, can there *honestly* sufficient advantages to a short sleep for it to be worth the effort? Is there a reliable way to fall asleep fast? Furthermore, can you truly ensure you will get up feeling improved, rather than worse?
Exploring The Drive to Snooze
“There are three key drivers for taking a nap among most adults,” explains a professor of sleep and circadian science specialist. “One is termed compensatory napping, that is the action you take after experiencing a lack of sleep the night before. The second is preparatory napping, where you are anticipating sleep loss in the future, for instance if you’re working overnight shifts. The third reason is “pleasure-based sleep”, which essentially boils down to wanting: you have an opportunity to nap in the afternoon, and it feels nice to do it.”
The first thing to do, therefore, is consider your reason for napping. “Napping can be genuinely useful when night sleeping is disturbed due to causes you cannot change – such as, when you are a new parent, or if you are healing after being ill or strenuous activity,” explains a sleep expert. “But if you nap because your sleep at night seems unreliable or poor, that is frequently a signal your body's sleep pressure is not at the level required. Under those circumstances, naps can become part of the problem, instead of the fix. Use napping as a temporary measure to address immediate needs – the main goal must always be a robust and regular night’s sleep.”
The Perfect Nap Length
This implies that daytime sleep shouldn’t be sufficiently lengthy to interfere with your overnight rest, and best are not recommended in the late afternoon (based on the time you go to bed in the evening). What's a reasonable length? Advice differs. Among the most referenced research on the subject, experts found that astronauts had a boost of up to 54% in alertness and a 34% increase in cognitive performance post a 26-minute snooze (to be precise, this included a six-minute nodding-off period). “I recommend setting a timer for 20 to 30 minutes – the majority fall asleep quickly,” notes a sleep coach. “There’s a lot of guidance out there about the optimal amount of time, yet that often cause people to feel more worried than anything – and the least helpful action one can do when trying to nod off is to stress over it.”
Should you decide to sleep for longer, bypass the 45-60 minute window that encourages sleep inertia, that disoriented sensation when you wake. “Research suggests it's more effective to take an extended nap lasting 60-90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” says the sleep scientist. “45 minutes is long enough to put you into slow-wave sleep making it more likely to feel sluggish upon awakening – however, if you nap for a bit longer to 60 or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to be on the end a full cycle and are likely to awaken feeling more rejuvenated. Though if you're dozing for a long period, it may impact how you sleep later that night.”
Establishing an Ideal Nap Environment
As for exact methodologies, recommendations vary. A few professionals propose employing comparable habits you’d use to encourage quality nighttime sleep: a quiet room, a cozy bed and as much darkness as possible. Others suggest that it's fine to merely snooze on the sofa in whatever light is available – both to discourage sleep inertia and to maintain your bed as the space you associate with *real* sleep. “Falling asleep is notoriously difficult to command,” explains a specialist. “Lacking any drowsiness, it is tougher to get comfortable and practically instruct yourself to fall asleep. There’s got to be a natural inclination present to bring the sleep on to begin with. I can usually snooze in full light and wake up naturally without a timer, however, what assists many individuals is to anticipate a time when they are naturally somewhat sleepy and then simply allow sleep to come.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and when your choices are limited – such as, if attempting to grab 40 winks while traveling or at the office – it is perfectly fine to employ some accessories. “In my work with elite athletes, I recommend that they don’t get used to sleeping in their bed, because they’re going to have|they will
