Tune into plenty of performance podcasters, making it simple to believe that dozing is a secret weapon: rather than a band-aid following a bad night’s sleep, but a shortcut towards improved recall, a brighter outlook and possibly improved athletic performance. Elite athletes swear by it – as do professional piano players, mixed martial artists & business leaders. But if you haven’t got a special sleep space or a career that allows frequent naps, are there *really* sufficient advantages to a burst of shut-eye for it to be worth the hassle? Is there a dependable method to fall asleep fast? Furthermore, can you truly ensure you will arise feeling improved, rather than worse?
Identifying The Nap Motivation
“Experts note three key drivers for taking a nap for many people,” explains an expert sleep and circadian science specialist. “Firstly, there's what we call make-up sleep, which is the action you take following a lack of sleep overnight. Another is prophylactic napping, which involves pre-empting insufficient sleep coming up, for example during overnight shifts. The third reason is “hedonic napping”, which simply boils down to desire: there is an opportunity to nap in the daytime, and it's enjoyable to do it.”
The primary task to consider, then, is to think about why you want to nap. “Naps can be truly beneficial when overnight rest is being disrupted due to causes outside your control – for example, if you’re a new parent, or if you are healing after being ill or strenuous activity,” says a sleep physiologist. “However, if you’re napping since your sleep at night feels fragile or unreliable, that is frequently a signal your need for sleep is not where required. In such situations, daytime sleep can turn into part of the issue, not the solution. Use napping for brief periods for temporary issues – the focus ought to remain a strong and predictable overnight rest.”
The Optimal Snooze Time
This implies that daytime sleep ought not to be sufficiently lengthy to affect your overnight rest, and ideally should not occur in the late afternoon (based on what time you sleep overnight). How long is sensible? Advice differs. From the most referenced research on the subject, researchers at Nasa noted that astronauts showed up to a 54% increase in alertness and a 34% boost in performance following a nap of 26 minutes (in detail, this counted an initial six-minute falling asleep phase). “I recommend setting a timer for half an hour or less – the majority doze off within 10 minutes,” says a sleep expert. “There’s a lot of guidance out there concerning the perfect length for sleeping, yet that often lead individuals to become more worried than anything else – and the most counterproductive thing you can do when trying to fall asleep is worry about it.”
If you’re going to sleep for longer, avoid the period between 45 and 60 minutes that induces sleep grogginess, that spaced-out feeling upon waking. “The science would say it is preferable to take a lengthier snooze of one to one and a half hours compared to a medium-length nap,” says the expert. “45 minutes is enough time to send you into a deep sleep stage and you’re more likely to feel disoriented upon awakening – while if you take it a little longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you’re likely to be completing a full cycle and will probably wake up feeling more alert. Though if you’re sleeping for 90 minutes, it may impact how you sleep later that night.”
Creating the Right Snooze Setting
As for exact methodologies, suggestions are diverse. A few professionals recommend adopting comparable habits you’d use to foster quality nighttime sleep: a peaceful area, a comfortable bed and minimal light as possible. Some advise that one could simply nap in a chair in whatever light is available – to prevent post-nap grogginess and to preserve your bedroom as the space you associate with proper sleep. “Napping is something really tricky to force,” notes a specialist. “Without any drowsiness, it is tougher to lie down and practically command yourself to nod off. There must be some sleep pressure available to start the process to begin with. For me, it's possible to nap in broad daylight and wake up naturally without an alarm, however, what assists many individuals is to anticipate a moment when they are naturally slightly tired and calmly ease into sleep.”
Experimentation is key, and should options are scarce – for example, if you’re trying to fit in some shut-eye while traveling or in a soundproof office pod – there’s nothing wrong to employ a few tools. “Coaching footballers, I suggest that they not rely on napping in bed, as they’re going to have|they will
