Tune into a few productivity podcasters, making it tempting to believe that napping is a superpower: rather than a sticking plaster following restless night, but a route to a better memory, a brighter outlook and perhaps quicker running times. Premier League footballers swear by it – along with musicians, mixed martial artists and high-profile executives. Yet, when you haven’t got a room for napping or a career that allows frequent naps, are there *really* worthwhile perks to a burst of shut-eye to merit the hassle? Does there exist a reliable way to get to sleep quickly enough? And can you truly ensure you will arise feeling refreshed, rather than worse?
Identifying The Nap Motivation
“There are three primary motivations for daytime sleep in the adult population,” says a professor of sleep science professor. “The first is termed make-up sleep, that is the action you take when you’ve had insufficient sleep the night before. Secondly, there's preparatory napping, when you are pre-empting insufficient sleep ahead, for example during overnight shifts. The third is called “appetitive drive”, which essentially boils down to the wish: you get a moment to nap in the daytime, and it feels nice to nap.”
The primary task to undertake, therefore, is to think about your reason for napping. “Napping can be genuinely useful when night sleeping is being disrupted because of factors you cannot change – such as, when you are a new parent, or recovering from illness or strenuous activity,” says a sleep physiologist. “However, if you’re napping as your nighttime sleep feels fragile or unreliable, that can be a signal your body's sleep pressure is not where required. In such situations, naps can become part of the problem, rather than the answer. Use napping for brief periods to address immediate needs – the priority ought to remain a solid and consistent overnight rest.”
The Optimal Nap Length
Therefore that daytime sleep ought not to be long enough to disrupt your nighttime sleep, and ideally shouldn’t take place in the late afternoon (based on the time you sleep overnight). What's a reasonable length? Advice differs. In one of the most referenced research about napping, space agency scientists discovered that astronauts experienced a boost of up to 54% in attentiveness and a 34% boost in task performance following a nap of 26 minutes (technically, this counted an initial six-minute nodding-off period). “I’d suggest setting a timer for 20 to 30 minutes – most people doze off within 10 minutes,” explains a specialist. “You'll find much recommendations concerning the ideal number for sleeping, yet that often make people feel more worried above all – and the worst thing one can do when trying to get to sleep is to be anxious.”
Should you decide to sleep for longer, bypass the 45-60 minute window that promotes sleep grogginess, that spaced-out feeling upon waking. “Studies indicates it's more effective to have an extended 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 send you into slow-wave sleep and you’re more likely to feel groggy when you wake up – however, if you take it a bit longer to a full sleep cycle, you’re likely to be on the end a natural sleep cycle and are likely to wake up feeling more rejuvenated. However, if you nap for an hour and a half, it can influence how you sleep that night.”
Finding the Perfect Nap Environment
As for exact methodologies, advice differs. A few professionals propose adopting comparable habits you use to promote quality nighttime sleep: a quiet room, a supportive surface and maximum darkness as is feasible. Some advise that you should merely snooze on a couch with ambient lighting happens to be around – both to discourage that groggy feeling and to “protect” your bedroom as the space you associate with *real* sleep. “Napping is something really tricky to force,” notes a specialist. “Lacking the urge to sleep, it becomes harder to recline and essentially command yourself to fall asleep. You need some drive available to initiate sleep to begin with. Personally, I can often take a nap in full light and naturally wake up without a timer, though, what aids most folks is to look for an instance when they are naturally somewhat sleepy and calmly relax into it.”
It’s worth experimenting, and should you have few options – for instance, if attempting to fit in some shut-eye while traveling or in a soundproof office pod – it is perfectly fine to use a few tools. “In my work with footballers, I advise that they don’t get used to their own bed for naps, as they’re going to have|they will
