Listen to a few productivity podcasters, and you'll be simple to believe that napping is a secret weapon: more than a band-aid following poor sleep, but a route towards improved recall, better spirits and perhaps improved athletic performance. Elite athletes swear by it – along with professional piano players, mixed martial artists & high-profile executives. However, if you lack a room for napping or employment that allows frequent naps, are there *really* enough benefits to a burst of shut-eye to justify the kerfuffle? Can you find a surefire technique to nod off promptly? And can you truly ensure you will arise feeling better, instead of groggy?
Identifying The Drive to Snooze
“There are three primary motivations for napping among most adults,” says a professor of sleep and circadian science researcher. “The first is what we call make-up sleep, essentially what you do when you’ve had a lack of sleep the previous night. Secondly, there's preparatory napping, where you are anticipating insufficient sleep coming up, for instance if you’re working on night shifts. Finally, there's “hedonic napping”, which simply boils down to wanting: you get an opportunity to nap in the daytime, and it's enjoyable to nap.”
The primary task to undertake, therefore, is to think about your nap motivation. “Napping can be truly beneficial when overnight rest is disturbed for reasons you cannot change – such as, when you are a parent of a newborn, or recovering from sickness or heavy physical exertion,” states a sleep specialist. “However, if you take a nap because your nighttime sleep seems unreliable or broken, that can be a sign your body's sleep pressure is not at the level required. In those cases, napping can become part of the issue, not the solution. Use napping for brief periods for short-term problems – the focus should still be a robust and regular night’s sleep.”
The Perfect Nap Duration
Therefore that daytime sleep must not be too extended to affect your sleep at night, and best are not recommended after about 3pm (depending on the time you sleep at night). What duration is wise? Recommendations vary. In one of the most referenced research about napping, space agency scientists found that crew members experienced up to a 54% increase in attentiveness and a 34% increase in cognitive performance following a nap of 26 minutes (technically, this counted a six-minute falling asleep phase). “I’d suggest using an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – the majority fall asleep within 10 minutes,” notes a sleep coach. “You'll find much advice around concerning the ideal number of time, but that tends to lead individuals to become more worried above all – and the worst thing you can do when trying to fall asleep is worry about it.”
If you plan to nap for a longer period, avoid the 45-60 minute window that induces sleep grogginess, that foggy state upon waking. “The science suggests it is preferable to have a lengthier snooze lasting 60-90 minutes than a medium-length one,” notes the sleep scientist. “Forty-five minutes is sufficient to send you into deep sleep and you’re more likely to feel groggy upon awakening – whereas if you take it a bit longer to an hour or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to finish a natural sleep cycle and are likely to awaken feeling more alert. Though if you're dozing for a long period, it will affect how you sleep that night.”
Creating the Perfect Sleep Space
Regarding precise methods, advice differs. Some experts propose adopting comparable habits you use to foster a good night’s sleep: a quiet room, a cozy bed and minimal light as possible. Some advise that one could just doze in a chair in the existing light is present – to prevent sleep inertia and to “protect” your bedroom as the space your mind associates with nighttime rest. “Napping is something really tricky to command,” says a specialist. “Lacking the urge to sleep, it is tougher to get comfortable and essentially tell yourself to go to sleep. There’s got to be some sleep pressure available to start the process initially. Personally, I can often nap in full light and naturally wake up without a timer, however, what assists many individuals is to wait for an instance where they feel naturally feeling a bit drowsy and then simply ease into sleep.”
Experimentation is key, and should options are scarce – for example, when aiming to grab 40 winks on a train or at the office – it is perfectly fine with bringing some accessories. “Coaching footballers, I suggest that they not rely on napping in bed, since they’re going to have|they will
