The Key for a Flawless Nap: When, Where & Duration?
Listen to plenty of productivity gurus, making it easy to think that a nap is a superpower: not just a band-aid following restless night, but a shortcut to a better memory, better spirits and perhaps quicker running times. Professional footballers are all at it – as do concert pianists, mixed martial artists & high-profile executives. However, if you lack a room for napping or a job that encourages daytime sleep, are there *really* worthwhile perks to a quick nap to merit the kerfuffle? Is there a surefire technique to fall asleep fast? Plus, is it possible to truly ensure you will get up feeling improved, rather than worse?
Identifying The Nap Motivation
“Experts note three key drivers for taking a nap among most adults,” explains a leading sleep science specialist. “The first is known as make-up sleep, that is what you do following insufficient sleep overnight. Another is prophylactic napping, which involves anticipating a sleep deficit ahead, such as during graveyard shifts. Finally, there's “hedonic napping”, which basically comes down to desire: you get an opportunity to nap during the day, and it's enjoyable to indulge.”
The first thing to consider, so, is to examine your nap motivation. “Daytime sleep can be really helpful when overnight rest is disturbed for reasons outside your control – for example, if you’re a new parent, or if you are healing from sickness or heavy physical exertion,” says a sleep expert. “Yet when you’re napping because your sleep at night is unstable or unreliable, that’s often a signal your sleep drive is not at the level required. Under those circumstances, napping can become a contributing factor, instead of the fix. Use napping as a short-term solution to address immediate needs – the focus must always be a robust and regular night’s sleep.”
The Perfect Nap Duration
Therefore that naps ought not to be long enough to affect your overnight rest, and ideally should not occur in the late afternoon (depending on when you retire in the evening). What's a reasonable length? Recommendations vary. From a prominent study regarding daytime sleep, space agency scientists noted that astronauts showed improvements of over 50% in attentiveness plus a 34% rise in cognitive performance following a nap of 26 minutes (technically, this counted a six-minute long nodding-off period). “My advice is setting a timer for 20 to 30 minutes – the majority fall asleep quickly,” explains a sleep expert. “You'll find much recommendations concerning the ideal number of time, yet that often cause people to feel more anxious than anything – and the worst thing you can do when trying to get to sleep is to stress over it.”
If you’re going to nap for a longer period, steer clear of the period between 45 and 60 minutes that encourages sleep inertia, that disoriented sensation upon waking. “Studies would say it's more effective to take an extended nap of 60 to 90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” explains the expert. “Three-quarters of an hour is sufficient to send you into deep sleep and you’re more likely to feel sluggish upon awakening – whereas if you nap for a bit longer to a full sleep cycle, you’re likely to be on the end of a sleep cycle and are likely to get up feeling more alert. However, if you're dozing for a long period, it will affect how you sleep in the evening.”
Creating the Perfect Nap Environment
Regarding exact methodologies, advice differs. Certain specialists propose adopting comparable habits you’d use to promote restful sleep: a silent space, a cozy bed and minimal light as is feasible. Some advise that it's fine to just doze on a couch in whatever light is present – to prevent post-nap grogginess and to maintain your sleeping quarters as the place your brain links with proper sleep. “Napping is notoriously difficult to command,” notes a sleep coach. “If you don’t have the urge to sleep, it becomes harder to recline and basically command yourself to nod off. You need some sleep pressure available to initiate sleep in the first place. For me, it's possible to snooze in broad daylight and naturally wake up without an alarm, however, what assists a lot of people is to look for a time that they’re naturally feeling a bit drowsy and calmly relax into it.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and should options are scarce – such as, if attempting to fit in 40 winks during a commute or in a soundproof office pod – there’s nothing wrong to use sleep aids. “Coaching professional sportspeople, I advise that they not rely on their own bed for naps, since they’re going to have|they will
