Hear enough performance podcasters, and you'll be easy to convince yourself that dozing is a secret weapon: more than a sticking plaster following restless night, but a path to improved recall, better spirits and possibly a faster 5k run time. Elite soccer players are all at it – along with musicians, UFC champions & business leaders. However, if you lack a room for napping or employment that permits frequent naps, is it *truly* worthwhile perks to a burst of shut-eye to justify the hassle? Is there a reliable way to nod off promptly? Plus, is it possible to really guarantee you will arise feeling improved, instead of groggy?
Exploring The Nap Motivation
“There are three main reasons for daytime sleep for many people,” says a professor of sleep science researcher. “The first is termed recovery napping, which is what you do after experiencing poor sleep the previous night. The second is preparatory napping, which involves pre-empting sleep loss coming up, for instance when working overnight shifts. The third is called “hedonic napping”, which essentially comes down to wanting: you have a chance to nap in the daytime, and it's pleasant to nap.”
The first thing to do, therefore, is to examine why you want to nap. “Daytime sleep can be truly beneficial when nighttime sleep gets interrupted due to causes beyond your control – for instance, for a new parent, or recovering after being ill or heavy physical exertion,” explains a sleep expert. “However, if you nap as your nighttime sleep is unstable or unreliable, that’s often an indicator your need for sleep is not where required. In such situations, naps can become a contributing factor, instead of the fix. Employ naps for brief periods to address immediate needs – the priority should still be a solid and consistent sleep at night.”
The Optimal Nap Duration
This means that napping shouldn’t be sufficiently lengthy to affect your nighttime sleep, and ideally are not recommended post-3 p.m. (based on the time you retire overnight). What's a reasonable length? Advice differs. Among a prominent study on the subject, researchers at Nasa noted that crew members had a boost of up to 54% in alertness and a 34% boost in task performance post a 26-minute snooze (to be precise, this included a six-minute nodding-off period). “My advice is using an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – most people doze off in under ten minutes,” explains a specialist. “There’s a lot of advice around about the ideal number of minutes, however, that can make people feel more worried above all – and the least helpful action one can do while aiming to fall asleep is to be anxious.”
If you’re going to nap for a longer period, bypass the period between 45 and 60 minutes that promotes sleep inertia, that disoriented sensation when you awaken. “Research indicates it's more effective to take a longer nap lasting 60-90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” says the sleep scientist. “Forty-five minutes is enough time to send you into a deep sleep stage making it more likely to feel sluggish when you get up – however, if you extend it a little longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you will probably to be completing of a sleep cycle and are likely to get up feeling more alert. But if you're dozing for 90 minutes, it can influence your sleep in the evening.”
Establishing the Perfect Nap Environment
When it comes to specific techniques, advice differs. A few professionals suggest adopting the same protocol you’d use to promote quality nighttime sleep: a silent space, a cozy bed and as much darkness as you can manage. Alternatively, experts propose that one could simply nap on the sofa in whatever light is available – to prevent sleep inertia and to maintain your bedroom as the place your mind associates with proper sleep. “Napping is quite challenging to force,” says an expert. “Lacking the urge to sleep, it becomes harder to lie down and practically instruct yourself to nod off. There must be some drive there to bring the sleep on to begin with. For me, it's possible to take a nap during the day and awaken on my own without a timer, though, what aids a lot of people is to wait for an instance where they feel naturally feeling a bit drowsy and just gently ease into sleep.”
Experimentation is key, and when you have few options – such as, if you’re trying to fit in a quick nap on a train or in a work pod – there’s nothing wrong to use sleep aids. “In my work with professional sportspeople, I advise that they not rely on their own bed for naps, since they’re going to have|they will
