Hear enough performance gurus, and it’s easy to convince yourself that dozing is a superpower: more than a sticking plaster following poor sleep, but a shortcut towards a better memory, a brighter outlook and maybe improved athletic performance. Premier League athletes do it regularly – as do professional piano players, UFC champions and high-profile executives. Yet, when you haven’t got a dedicated nap-room or a career that encourages daytime sleep, is it *truly* sufficient advantages to a short sleep to merit the effort? Is there a surefire technique to fall asleep fast? Furthermore, can you honestly promise you will get up feeling improved, instead of groggy?
Identifying Your Nap Motivation
“Experts note three primary motivations for taking a nap for many people,” explains an expert sleep and circadian science researcher. “The first is what we call recovery napping, essentially what happens when you’ve had insufficient sleep the night before. Secondly, there's prophylactic napping, which involves anticipating insufficient sleep coming up, for example when working on night shifts. The third is called “pleasure-based sleep”, which simply comes down to desire: you have a moment to doze in the afternoon, and it's pleasant to indulge.”
The primary task to do, then, is to think about your nap motivation. “Daytime sleep can be truly beneficial when night sleeping is being disrupted due to causes beyond your control – for instance, when you are caring for an infant, or if you are healing after being ill or heavy physical exertion,” explains a sleep expert. “But if you’re napping as your sleep at night is unstable or broken, that can be an indicator your sleep drive is not at the level it needs to be. Under those circumstances, napping can become part of the issue, instead of the fix. Use napping as a short-term solution to address immediate needs – the main goal ought to remain a robust and regular sleep at night.”
The Perfect Snooze Time
This means that daytime sleep must not be too extended to affect your overnight rest, and ideally shouldn’t take place post-3 p.m. (based on when you go to bed overnight). What's a reasonable length? Advice differs. Among a prominent study about napping, space agency scientists noted that space travelers had a boost of up to 54% in attentiveness plus a 34% rise in task performance following a nap of 26 minutes (technically, this involved an initial six-minute sleep onset time). “I’d suggest setting a timer for 20 to 30 minutes – most people are asleep quickly,” says a specialist. “There’s a lot of guidance out there regarding the optimal amount of minutes, yet that often make people feel more worried than anything else – and the least helpful action one can do when trying to get to sleep is to be anxious.”
If you’re going to take an extended nap, steer clear of the 45 to 60 minute range that encourages that sluggish feeling, that disoriented sensation when you wake. “Studies indicates it's more effective to opt for a lengthier snooze of one to one and a half hours compared to a medium-length nap,” explains the sleep scientist. “Forty-five minutes is long enough to put you into a deep sleep stage and it is more probable to feel groggy upon awakening – however, if you extend it slightly longer to an hour or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to finish of a sleep cycle and will probably awaken feeling more alert. But if you're dozing for 90 minutes, it can influence how you sleep later that night.”
Establishing the Perfect Nap Environment
When it comes to precise methods, advice differs. Some experts suggest adopting similar routines you’d use to encourage quality nighttime sleep: a quiet room, a supportive surface and maximum darkness as is feasible. Some advise that it's fine to just doze on a couch in whatever light is available – to prevent that groggy feeling and to preserve your sleeping quarters as the space you associate with *real* sleep. “Falling asleep is notoriously difficult to will,” says a sleep coach. “Without any sleepiness, it becomes harder to recline and essentially instruct yourself to go to sleep. There must be some drive present to initiate sleep initially. I can usually snooze in full light and awaken on my own without a timer, however, what assists most folks is to anticipate an instance that they’re naturally somewhat sleepy and calmly ease into sleep.”
Experimentation is key, and if your choices are limited – for example, when aiming to squeeze in a quick nap while traveling or at the office – there’s nothing wrong with bringing some accessories. “When I’m working with elite athletes, I advise that they avoid becoming accustomed to their own bed for naps, because they’re going to have|they will
