Hear a few performance experts, making it simple to think that a nap is a secret weapon: more than a quick fix after restless night, but a route to improved recall, improved mood and perhaps a faster 5k run time. Elite athletes are all at it – and so are musicians, mixed martial artists & business leaders. Yet, when you don't have a dedicated nap-room or a job that allows daytime sleep, are there *really* sufficient advantages to a short sleep to justify the hassle? Can you find a dependable method to fall asleep fast? Plus, is it possible to truly ensure you’ll wake up feeling refreshed, not worse?
Understanding The Reasons for Napping
“Experts note three key drivers for daytime sleep for many people,” explains a leading circadian rhythm professor. “The first is known as make-up sleep, that is what you do when you’ve had poor sleep overnight. Secondly, there's pre-emptive sleep, which involves pre-empting insufficient sleep in the future, for example during on night shifts. The third reason is “hedonic napping”, which essentially comes down to the wish: you have a moment to sleep in the afternoon, and it's pleasant to indulge.”
The first thing to consider, then, is to examine your nap motivation. “Daytime sleep can be truly beneficial when overnight rest is being disrupted because of factors beyond your control – for instance, for caring for an infant, or if you are healing from sickness or heavy physical exertion,” states a sleep expert. “But if you take a nap since your sleep at night is unstable or poor, that is frequently an indicator your body's sleep pressure is not at the level required. Under those circumstances, daytime sleep can turn into a contributing factor, not the solution. Employ naps as a short-term solution for temporary issues – the main goal must always be a strong and predictable overnight rest.”
The Ideal Nap Length
Therefore that daytime sleep must not be sufficiently lengthy to affect your nighttime sleep, and ideally shouldn’t take place post-3 p.m. (contingent on what time you go to bed overnight). What duration is wise? Guidelines are mixed. In one of the most referenced research about napping, researchers at Nasa noted that space travelers experienced up to a 54% increase in vigilance and a 34% increase in cognitive performance post a 26-minute snooze (in detail, this included an initial six-minute nodding-off period). “My advice is setting a timer for half an hour or less – many individuals doze off in under ten minutes,” notes a sleep coach. “There is plenty of recommendations regarding the perfect length for sleeping, however, that can lead individuals to become more worried than anything – and the least helpful action you can do when attempting to get to sleep is to be anxious.”
Should you decide to nap for a longer period, avoid the period between 45 and 60 minutes that promotes sleep inertia, that foggy state upon waking. “Studies suggests it's more effective to take a longer nap of one to one and a half hours compared to a medium-length nap,” explains the professor. “Three-quarters of an hour is enough time to plunge you into deep sleep and you’re more likely to feel disoriented when you wake up – while if you extend it a bit longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you’re likely to finish a natural sleep cycle and are likely to wake up feeling more refreshed. Though if you're dozing for an hour and a half, it may impact your sleep that night.”
Establishing the Right Sleep Space
When it comes to exact methodologies, recommendations vary. A few professionals suggest employing comparable habits you use to foster restful sleep: a quiet room, a supportive surface and as much darkness as possible. Others suggest that one could just doze on the sofa in the existing light is present – to avoid post-nap grogginess and to preserve your sleeping quarters as the space you associate with proper sleep. “Falling asleep is quite challenging to command,” says an expert. “Lacking the urge to sleep, it is more challenging to lie down and essentially instruct yourself to nod off. There must be a natural inclination present to start the process initially. Personally, I can often take a nap in full light and naturally wake up without an alarm, though, what aids many individuals is to look for an instance when they are naturally slightly tired and then simply ease into sleep.”
Experimentation is key, and when options are scarce – for example, if you’re trying to grab a quick nap while traveling or in a work pod – it is perfectly fine with bringing some accessories. “In my work with elite athletes, I suggest that they not rely on sleeping in their bed, since they’re going to have|they will
