Tune into plenty of productivity gurus, making it simple to believe that a nap is a superpower: not just a quick fix following restless night, but a path towards improved recall, better spirits and perhaps improved athletic performance. Professional soccer players do it regularly – along with concert pianists, UFC champions and high-profile executives. But if you lack a special sleep space or a job that permits regular snoozing, can there *honestly* sufficient advantages to a short sleep to justify the hassle? Does there exist a surefire technique to fall asleep fast? Furthermore, can you really guarantee you will get up feeling better, not worse?
Understanding Your Drive to Snooze
“There are three primary motivations for napping in the adult population,” says a leading sleep science researcher. “Firstly, there's termed recovery napping, essentially the action you take following poor sleep overnight. Another is pre-emptive sleep, when you are anticipating sleep loss coming up, for example when working graveyard shifts. The third is called “pleasure-based sleep”, which essentially boils down to the wish: you have a chance to nap in the daytime, and it's pleasant to nap.”
The initial step to consider, therefore, is consider your nap motivation. “Naps can be genuinely useful when nighttime sleep is being disrupted due to causes beyond your control – for instance, for a new parent, or you’re recovering after being ill or strenuous activity,” explains a sleep specialist. “Yet when you’re napping since your nighttime sleep feels fragile or broken, that’s often a signal your sleep drive is not at the level required. In those cases, naps can become a contributing factor, rather than the answer. Use napping for brief periods to address immediate needs – the priority ought to remain a robust and regular sleep at night.”
The Perfect Snooze Time
This means that naps must not be sufficiently lengthy to affect your nighttime sleep, and ideally shouldn’t take place post-3 p.m. (contingent on when you go to bed at night). How long is sensible? Guidelines are mixed. From the most referenced research on the subject, space agency scientists found that crew members had up to a 54% increase in attentiveness plus a 34% rise in cognitive performance post a 26-minute snooze (in detail, this included a six-minute falling asleep phase). “I’d suggest using an alarm for half an hour or less – the majority fall asleep quickly,” says a sleep coach. “You'll find much advice around concerning the perfect length for sleeping, however, that can cause people to feel more worried above all – and the worst thing you can do when attempting to get to sleep is worry about it.”
If you plan to sleep for longer, avoid the period between 45 and 60 minutes that induces sleep inertia, that foggy state when you awaken. “The science indicates it is preferable to take a longer nap of one to one and a half hours than a medium-length one,” says the expert. “Three-quarters of an hour is sufficient to put you into slow-wave sleep making it more likely to feel sluggish when you wake up – while if you nap for a little longer to a full sleep cycle, you will probably to finish of a sleep cycle and will probably wake up feeling more refreshed. However, if you’re sleeping for 90 minutes, it may impact how you sleep that night.”
Finding the Perfect Snooze Setting
Regarding exact methodologies, recommendations vary. A few professionals recommend employing the same protocol one would use to foster a good night’s sleep: a peaceful area, a comfortable bed and as much darkness as possible. Alternatively, experts propose that one could simply nap on the sofa in the existing light is available – to prevent sleep inertia and to “protect” your sleeping quarters as the space you associate with nighttime rest. “Sleep is quite challenging to command,” explains an expert. “If you don’t have the urge to sleep, it is more challenging to recline and essentially command yourself to go to sleep. There must be some sleep pressure present to initiate sleep to begin with. For me, it's possible to nap during the day and naturally wake up without an alarm, though, what aids many individuals is to look for an instance where they feel naturally somewhat sleepy and calmly allow sleep to come.”
Experimentation is key, and if your choices are limited – such as, if attempting to squeeze in a quick nap while traveling or in a soundproof office pod – it's acceptable with bringing a few tools. “In my work with elite athletes, I suggest that they avoid becoming accustomed to napping in bed, as they’re going to have|they will
