Hear plenty of productivity podcasters, making it simple to believe that napping is a secret weapon: rather than a quick fix after poor sleep, but a shortcut to a better memory, improved mood and maybe a faster 5k run time. Premier League athletes swear by it – and so are musicians, fighters and business leaders. Yet, when you lack a special sleep space or a job that encourages daytime sleep, is it *truly* worthwhile perks to a quick nap to justify the effort? Can you find a surefire technique to nod off promptly? And can you truly ensure you will arise feeling better, instead of groggy?
Exploring The Reasons for Napping
“There are three key drivers for taking a nap among most adults,” says an expert sleep and circadian science professor. “The first is known as recovery napping, that is the action you take when you’ve had a lack of sleep the previous night. Another is pre-emptive sleep, which involves anticipating sleep loss in the future, such as if you’re working graveyard shifts. The third reason is “appetitive drive”, which basically boils down to wanting: there is an opportunity to doze in the afternoon, and it's enjoyable to do it.”
The primary task to consider, therefore, is to think about your nap motivation. “Napping can be truly beneficial when night sleeping is disturbed because of factors outside your control – for instance, if you’re a new parent, or if you are healing from sickness or heavy physical exertion,” explains a sleep expert. “But if you nap because your sleep at night feels fragile or broken, that is frequently a sign your body's sleep pressure is not where it should be. In such situations, napping can become part of the issue, rather than the answer. Employ naps as a temporary measure to address immediate needs – the priority must always be a strong and predictable sleep at night.”
The Ideal Nap Duration
This means that daytime sleep shouldn’t be long enough to disrupt your overnight rest, and ideally shouldn’t take place post-3 p.m. (based on what time you retire in the evening). What's a reasonable length? Guidelines are mixed. Among a prominent study about napping, researchers at Nasa noted that astronauts experienced improvements of over 50% in attentiveness and a 34% boost in cognitive performance post a 26-minute snooze (in detail, this involved a six-minute long sleep onset time). “I’d suggest setting an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – the majority fall asleep within 10 minutes,” explains a sleep coach. “There’s a lot of guidance out there concerning the optimal amount for sleeping, but that tends to make people feel more worried than anything – and the most counterproductive thing you can do when trying to nod off is to be anxious.”
Should you decide to nap for a longer period, bypass the 45 to 60 minute range that induces sleep grogginess, that foggy state when you awaken. “Research suggests it is preferable to have an extended nap of one to one and a half hours than a medium-length one,” says the sleep scientist. “45 minutes is sufficient to plunge you into deep sleep and you’re more likely to feel sluggish when you get up – while if you take it a bit longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you’re likely to be completing a full cycle and are likely to awaken feeling more refreshed. But if you're dozing for a long period, it will affect your sleep in the evening.”
Finding the Right Snooze Setting
When it comes to precise methods, recommendations vary. Some experts suggest using comparable habits you use to encourage quality nighttime sleep: a quiet room, a supportive surface and maximum darkness as is feasible. Others suggest that one could simply nap in a chair with ambient lighting happens to be around – to prevent sleep inertia and to “protect” your bedroom as the place your mind associates with proper sleep. “Napping is notoriously difficult to command,” explains a specialist. “Without any drowsiness, it is more challenging to lie down and essentially command yourself to go to sleep. You need a natural inclination there to bring the sleep on initially. I can usually nap in full light and naturally wake up alarm-free, but what helps most folks is to anticipate a moment that they’re naturally somewhat sleepy and calmly allow sleep to come.”
It’s worth experimenting, and if you have few options – such as, if attempting to grab some shut-eye while traveling or at the office – it's acceptable with bringing a few tools. “When I’m working with footballers, I advise that they avoid becoming accustomed to napping in bed, since they’re going to have|they will
