Tune into enough self-improvement gurus, and it’s tempting to think that napping is a secret weapon: rather than a band-aid following poor sleep, but a path towards enhanced cognition, better spirits and perhaps quicker running times. Professional footballers swear by it – along with professional piano players, fighters & high-profile executives. But if you lack a special sleep space or employment that allows regular snoozing, can there *honestly* enough benefits to a short sleep for it to be worth the kerfuffle? Does there exist a surefire technique to nod off promptly? Plus, is it possible to honestly promise you will arise feeling refreshed, instead of groggy?
Understanding The Nap Motivation
“We can identify three key drivers for daytime sleep among most adults,” explains a professor of circadian rhythm professor. “One is what we call compensatory napping, which is the action you take after experiencing insufficient sleep overnight. Secondly, there's prophylactic napping, where you are pre-empting sleep loss ahead, for example if you’re working overnight shifts. The third is called “appetitive drive”, which simply comes down to the wish: you have a moment to sleep during the day, and it's pleasant to do it.”
The primary task to undertake, then, is to think about your nap motivation. “Naps can be truly beneficial when overnight rest is being disrupted because of factors outside your control – for instance, if you’re a new parent, or if you are healing from illness or intense exercise,” says a sleep expert. “Yet when you take a nap since your night sleep feels fragile or broken, that can be a sign your body's sleep pressure is not at the level it should be. In those cases, napping can become part of the issue, rather than the answer. Utilize daytime sleep as a short-term solution for short-term problems – the priority must always be a robust and regular overnight rest.”
The Ideal Nap Duration
This means that naps ought not to be too extended to affect your sleep at night, and preferably should not occur post-3 p.m. (contingent on when you go to bed at night). What duration is wise? Advice differs. Among a prominent study about napping, space agency scientists noted that space travelers experienced improvements of over 50% in vigilance and a 34% increase in cognitive performance post a 26-minute snooze (technically, this involved an initial six-minute sleep onset time). “I recommend setting a timer for half an hour or less – the majority doze off in under ten minutes,” explains a specialist. “There’s a lot of recommendations concerning the ideal number of minutes, however, that can cause people to feel more stressed than anything – and the least helpful action you can possibly do while aiming to get to sleep is to stress over it.”
If you’re going to nap for a longer period, bypass the 45-60 minute window that encourages that sluggish feeling, that disoriented sensation upon waking. “Research would say it is preferable to take a lengthier snooze of one to one and a half hours than a medium-length one,” explains the sleep scientist. “Forty-five minutes is sufficient to send you into deep sleep making it more likely to feel disoriented when you wake up – while if you take it a bit longer to an hour or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to be on the end a natural sleep cycle and should awaken feeling more alert. Though if you're dozing for 90 minutes, it can influence how you sleep in the evening.”
Establishing the Right Nap Environment
Regarding precise methods, advice differs. Some experts suggest employing similar routines you’d use to encourage restful sleep: a peaceful area, a supportive surface and maximum darkness as is feasible. Some advise that one could merely snooze on a couch with ambient lighting is available – to prevent post-nap grogginess and to maintain your sleeping quarters as the environment you associate with *real* sleep. “Napping is something really tricky to will,” notes a specialist. “Without any sleepiness, it becomes harder to lie down and practically tell yourself to nod off. There’s got to be a natural inclination there to bring the sleep on to begin with. Personally, I can often snooze during the day and wake up naturally without an alarm, however, what assists most folks is to wait for a time that they’re naturally slightly tired and then simply allow sleep to come.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and when your choices are limited – such as, if attempting to grab some shut-eye during a commute or at the office – it is perfectly fine to use a few tools. “Coaching footballers, I suggest that they don’t get used to napping in bed, as they’re going to have|they will
