Hear plenty of self-improvement podcasters, and you'll be simple to convince yourself that a nap is a superpower: more than a quick fix following a bad night’s sleep, but a shortcut towards improved recall, better spirits and possibly quicker running times. Premier League soccer players are all at it – along with professional piano players, UFC champions and media moguls. But if you haven’t got a special sleep space or a job that encourages daytime sleep, is it *truly* enough benefits to a burst of shut-eye to merit the hassle? Is there a dependable method to nod off promptly? Plus, is it possible to honestly promise you’ll wake up feeling improved, not worse?
Identifying Your Reasons for Napping
“Experts note three main reasons for daytime sleep for many people,” explains a leading sleep and circadian science researcher. “The first is known as compensatory napping, that is what happens after experiencing insufficient sleep the night before. The second is preparatory napping, when you are pre-empting sleep loss in the future, for example if you’re working on night shifts. The third reason is “appetitive drive”, which simply is about desire: you get an opportunity to sleep in the daytime, and it's pleasant to indulge.”
The primary task to consider, therefore, is to examine your nap motivation. “Daytime sleep can be genuinely useful when nighttime sleep is being disrupted due to causes outside your control – for example, if you’re a new parent, or recovering from sickness or heavy physical exertion,” states a sleep physiologist. “But if you nap since your night sleep seems unreliable or broken, that’s often a signal your need for sleep is not where required. In those cases, daytime sleep can turn into a contributing factor, instead of the fix. Employ naps as a short-term solution for short-term problems – the priority must always be a robust and regular overnight rest.”
The Perfect Nap Length
Therefore that daytime sleep ought not to be sufficiently lengthy to disrupt your sleep at night, and ideally are not recommended after about 3pm (depending on what time you go to bed in the evening). How long is sensible? Advice differs. From the most-cited studies regarding daytime sleep, space agency scientists found that crew members had up to a 54% increase in alertness and a 34% increase in performance following a nap of 26 minutes (technically, this involved a six-minute long nodding-off period). “I recommend setting a timer for half an hour or less – many individuals fall asleep within 10 minutes,” notes a specialist. “You'll find much guidance out there regarding the optimal amount of minutes, however, that can lead individuals to become more worried than anything – and the most counterproductive thing you can do when attempting to get to sleep is worry about it.”
If you’re going to nap for a longer period, bypass the 45 to 60 minute range that promotes sleep inertia, that spaced-out feeling when you awaken. “The science suggests it’s better to take an extended nap of one to one and a half hours than a medium-length one,” says the sleep scientist. “Three-quarters of an hour is enough time to put you into deep sleep and you’re more likely to feel sluggish upon awakening – however, if you nap for a bit longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you’re likely to be on the end a full cycle and are likely to awaken feeling more alert. But if you nap for 90 minutes, it may impact how you sleep that night.”
Finding an Ideal Nap Environment
Regarding precise methods, recommendations vary. A few professionals suggest using comparable habits one would use to encourage a good night’s sleep: a quiet room, a comfortable bed and as much darkness as is feasible. Others suggest that one could merely snooze on a couch in whatever light is available – to prevent that groggy feeling and to “protect” your bed as the space you associate with proper sleep. “Falling asleep is quite challenging to force,” says a sleep coach. “Lacking any sleepiness, it becomes harder to lie down and basically tell yourself to go to sleep. There’s got to be a natural inclination present to bring the sleep on to begin with. For me, it's possible to take a nap in broad daylight and wake up naturally without an alarm, though, what aids a lot of people is to anticipate a time where they feel naturally feeling a bit drowsy and just gently allow sleep to come.”
It’s worth experimenting, and when your choices are limited – for example, if you’re trying to grab 40 winks on a train or in a work pod – there’s nothing wrong to use some accessories. “When I’m working with footballers, I advise that they don’t get used to napping in bed, because they’re going to have|they will
