Tune into enough self-improvement podcasters, and you'll be tempting to believe that dozing is a secret weapon: rather than a band-aid after a bad night’s sleep, but a path to improved recall, improved mood and perhaps a faster 5k run time. Professional athletes are all at it – as do professional piano players, UFC champions and business leaders. But if you haven’t got a room for napping or a job that allows frequent naps, are there *really* enough benefits to a short sleep to merit the effort? Can you find a surefire technique to nod off promptly? Plus, is it possible to truly ensure you’ll wake up feeling improved, not worse?
Understanding The Reasons for Napping
“There are three key drivers for taking a nap among most adults,” explains a professor of circadian rhythm specialist. “Firstly, there's known as compensatory napping, that is what happens after experiencing a lack of sleep overnight. The second is prophylactic napping, when you are preparing for a sleep deficit in the future, for example when working overnight shifts. Finally, there's “hedonic napping”, which simply boils down to the wish: there is a chance to doze in the daytime, and it's enjoyable to indulge.”
The primary task to do, so, is to examine your reason for napping. “Daytime sleep can be truly beneficial when night sleeping is disturbed for reasons outside your control – for example, for a new parent, or recovering from illness or strenuous activity,” says a sleep specialist. “But if you nap since your night sleep is unstable or poor, that’s often an indicator your sleep drive is not where required. In those cases, naps can become a contributing factor, rather than the answer. Employ naps for brief periods to address immediate needs – the main goal must always be a solid and consistent overnight rest.”
The Optimal Nap Length
This implies that daytime sleep must not be too extended to affect your sleep at night, and best are not recommended in the late afternoon (contingent on the time you sleep at night). How long is sensible? Recommendations vary. Among the most-cited studies on the subject, researchers at Nasa found that astronauts had a boost of up to 54% in alertness plus a 34% rise in performance post a 26-minute snooze (to be precise, this included a six-minute nodding-off period). “My advice is setting a timer for 20 to 30 minutes – the majority are asleep in under ten minutes,” explains a sleep expert. “There is plenty of advice around about the perfect length of time, yet that often make people feel more anxious than anything else – and the most counterproductive thing you can do when attempting to get to sleep is to be anxious.”
If you plan to sleep for longer, avoid the 45-60 minute window that encourages that sluggish feeling, that disoriented sensation when you awaken. “Studies suggests it's more effective to opt for an extended nap lasting 60-90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” explains the professor. “45 minutes is sufficient to send you into slow-wave sleep and you’re more likely to feel groggy when you get up – while if you nap for a little longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you will probably to finish of a sleep cycle and are likely to awaken feeling more rejuvenated. However, if you're dozing for an hour and a half, it will affect the quality of your sleep that night.”
Establishing an Ideal Snooze Setting
When it comes to exact methodologies, recommendations vary. A few professionals propose employing comparable habits you use to foster quality nighttime sleep: a silent space, a comfortable bed and as much darkness as you can manage. Alternatively, experts propose that it's fine to just doze on the sofa with ambient lighting happens to be around – to avoid sleep inertia and to maintain your bedroom as the place your mind associates with *real* sleep. “Falling asleep is quite challenging to command,” says an expert. “If you don’t have any sleepiness, it becomes harder to recline and basically tell yourself to go to sleep. You need some sleep pressure available to initiate sleep to begin with. For me, it's possible to nap in broad daylight and wake up naturally without an alarm, but what helps a lot of people is to look for an instance when they are naturally feeling a bit drowsy and just gently relax into it.”
It’s worth experimenting, and when your choices are limited – for example, if you’re trying to squeeze in 40 winks on a train or at the office – there’s nothing wrong to employ some accessories. “Coaching elite athletes, I advise that they avoid becoming accustomed to sleeping in their bed, as they’re going to have|they will
