Listen to a few self-improvement experts, making it tempting to think that dozing is a superpower: not just a band-aid following a bad night’s sleep, but a route towards a better memory, better spirits and possibly improved athletic performance. Elite soccer players swear by it – as do concert pianists, UFC champions and business leaders. But if you lack a dedicated nap-room or a job that encourages frequent naps, is it *truly* enough benefits to a burst of shut-eye to merit the kerfuffle? Does there exist a reliable way to get to sleep quickly enough? Furthermore, can you honestly promise you will get up feeling improved, instead of groggy?
Identifying Your Drive to Snooze
“Experts note three main reasons for daytime sleep for many people,” says a leading sleep science professor. “Firstly, there's termed recovery napping, essentially what happens when you’ve had insufficient sleep the previous night. The second is prophylactic napping, which involves anticipating insufficient sleep ahead, such as during on night shifts. The third is called “appetitive drive”, which essentially boils down to desire: there is a chance to doze in the afternoon, and it's pleasant to indulge.”
The first thing to undertake, then, is to examine why you want to nap. “Naps can be genuinely useful when overnight rest is disturbed due to causes outside your control – such as, when you are a new parent, or if you are healing after being ill or heavy physical exertion,” says a sleep expert. “However, if you take a nap because your nighttime sleep feels fragile or unreliable, that’s often a signal your sleep drive is not where it needs to be. In those cases, naps can become a contributing factor, rather than the answer. Employ naps as a short-term solution for temporary issues – the main goal must always be a solid and consistent night’s sleep.”
The Ideal Snooze Time
This implies that naps ought not to be sufficiently lengthy to interfere with your sleep at night, and best shouldn’t take place post-3 p.m. (based on when you sleep at night). What's a reasonable length? Recommendations vary. From the most referenced research on the subject, space agency scientists found that space travelers showed up to a 54% increase in alertness and a 34% increase in task performance post a 26-minute snooze (technically, this involved a six-minute long falling asleep phase). “I’d suggest setting a timer for half an hour or less – most people are asleep within 10 minutes,” says a sleep coach. “There is plenty of advice around about the optimal amount of minutes, yet that often make people feel more stressed than anything else – and the worst thing you can do when trying to get to sleep is to be anxious.”
Should you decide to nap for a longer period, bypass the 45-60 minute window that promotes that sluggish feeling, that disoriented sensation upon waking. “Research suggests it’s better to have a longer nap lasting 60-90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” notes the sleep scientist. “Three-quarters of an hour is enough time to put you into deep sleep and it is more probable to feel disoriented upon awakening – whereas if you take it a bit longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you’re likely to be on the end a natural sleep cycle and will probably awaken feeling more rejuvenated. Though if you’re sleeping for a long period, it may impact how you sleep that night.”
Establishing an Ideal Nap Environment
Regarding specific techniques, suggestions are diverse. Some experts recommend employing comparable habits you use to promote restful sleep: a quiet room, a comfortable bed and maximum darkness as is feasible. Alternatively, experts propose that one could just doze in a chair in whatever light is available – both to discourage sleep inertia and to preserve your bedroom as the environment your brain links with *real* sleep. “Falling asleep is something really tricky to will,” notes a specialist. “Without any drowsiness, it becomes harder to recline and essentially tell yourself to go to sleep. There must be some sleep pressure available to initiate sleep initially. For me, it's possible to nap in broad daylight and naturally wake up without a timer, though, what aids most folks is to wait for a moment when they are naturally feeling a bit drowsy and just gently relax into it.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and if you have few options – such as, if you’re trying to fit in 40 winks during a commute or in a soundproof office pod – it is perfectly fine to use a few tools. “Coaching elite athletes, I suggest that they not rely on sleeping in their bed, because they’re going to have|they will