Hear plenty of self-improvement podcasters, and it’s easy to convince yourself that a nap is a superpower: not just a band-aid after poor sleep, but a path to a better memory, better spirits and maybe quicker running times. Professional soccer players do it regularly – and so are musicians, fighters & business leaders. But if you don't have a special sleep space or a career that allows regular snoozing, can there *honestly* worthwhile perks to a short sleep for it to be worth the hassle? Can you find a surefire technique to fall asleep fast? Furthermore, can you truly ensure you will get up feeling better, rather than worse?
Exploring Your Reasons for Napping
“We can identify three key drivers for taking a nap among most adults,” notes an expert sleep science professor. “The first is known as compensatory napping, that is the action you take after experiencing insufficient sleep the previous night. Another is preparatory napping, when you are anticipating a sleep deficit ahead, for instance during graveyard shifts. The third is called “appetitive drive”, which simply is about the wish: there is an opportunity to sleep in the afternoon, and it feels nice to do it.”
The first thing to do, so, is consider your nap motivation. “Daytime sleep can be really helpful when night sleeping is being disrupted for reasons you cannot change – such as, if you’re a parent of a newborn, or you’re recovering from illness or strenuous activity,” says a sleep expert. “However, if you take a nap as your nighttime sleep is unstable or poor, that’s often a sign your body's sleep pressure is not at the level required. In those cases, naps can become a contributing factor, rather than the answer. Utilize daytime sleep as a short-term solution to address immediate needs – the focus should still be a strong and predictable night’s sleep.”
The Optimal Nap Length
Therefore that daytime sleep ought not to be sufficiently lengthy to affect your nighttime sleep, and ideally are not recommended after about 3pm (based on the time you retire in the evening). What's a reasonable length? Recommendations vary. From a prominent study about napping, space agency scientists noted that space travelers experienced improvements of over 50% in alertness plus a 34% rise in cognitive performance post a 26-minute snooze (to be precise, this counted an initial six-minute sleep onset time). “I recommend using an alarm for 20-30 minutes – most people doze off quickly,” notes a sleep coach. “You'll find much recommendations concerning the perfect length for sleeping, however, that can cause people to feel more anxious above all – and the most counterproductive thing you can do when attempting to fall asleep is worry about it.”
If you plan to take an extended nap, bypass the 45-60 minute window that encourages sleep inertia, that foggy state when you awaken. “Research would say it is preferable to opt for a lengthier snooze of one to one and a half hours compared to a medium-length nap,” notes the expert. “Forty-five minutes is long enough to put you into a deep sleep stage making it more likely to feel sluggish when you get up – however, if you nap for a bit longer to a full sleep cycle, it's likely you'll to finish a full cycle and will probably get up feeling more alert. Though if you nap for 90 minutes, it may impact your sleep in the evening.”
Creating the Perfect Nap Environment
As for specific techniques, recommendations vary. A few professionals suggest employing comparable habits you’d use to encourage restful sleep: a quiet room, a supportive surface and maximum darkness as possible. Others suggest that it's fine to just doze in a chair in the existing light is available – to avoid that groggy feeling and to “protect” your bed as the place you associate with proper sleep. “Napping is notoriously difficult to will,” notes a specialist. “Lacking the urge to sleep, it is tougher to recline and practically command yourself to fall asleep. You need some sleep pressure present to initiate sleep initially. Personally, I can often nap in full light and naturally wake up alarm-free, but what helps many individuals is to look for a time when they are naturally slightly tired and then simply allow sleep to come.”
It’s worth experimenting, and when your choices are limited – such as, when aiming to squeeze in a quick nap on a train or in a soundproof office pod – there’s nothing wrong to use sleep aids. “When I’m working with footballers, I recommend that they don’t get used to sleeping in their bed, because they’re going to have|they will
