Tune into a few productivity podcasters, and you'll be easy to think that a nap is a powerful tool: not just a quick fix after poor sleep, but a route to enhanced cognition, better spirits and possibly quicker running times. Elite soccer players are all at it – along with concert pianists, mixed martial artists and media moguls. Yet, when you don't have a room for napping or a job that encourages regular snoozing, can there *honestly* worthwhile perks to a quick nap to justify the kerfuffle? Does there exist a dependable method to nod off promptly? Plus, is it possible to honestly promise you will arise feeling refreshed, not worse?
Exploring The Reasons for Napping
“We can identify three key drivers for napping in the adult population,” says a professor of circadian rhythm professor. “Firstly, there's known as recovery napping, that is what happens following insufficient sleep the previous night. Secondly, there's preparatory napping, where you are pre-empting sleep loss coming up, for instance if you’re working overnight shifts. The third is called “hedonic napping”, which basically boils down to desire: you have a chance to nap during the day, and it's enjoyable to do it.”
The first thing to do, therefore, is consider your nap motivation. “Napping can be truly beneficial when overnight rest gets interrupted due to causes you cannot change – for example, if you’re caring for an infant, or you’re recovering from illness or strenuous activity,” explains a sleep expert. “However, if you take a nap as your sleep at night seems unreliable or unreliable, that is frequently a sign your need for sleep is not where it should be. In those cases, napping can become part of the problem, instead of the fix. Employ naps for brief periods for temporary issues – the priority should still be a solid and consistent sleep at night.”
The Ideal Nap Duration
This means that naps shouldn’t be long enough to disrupt your sleep at night, and best are not recommended in the late afternoon (contingent on the time you retire at night). How long is sensible? Guidelines are mixed. In one of a prominent study regarding daytime sleep, experts discovered that astronauts experienced a boost of up to 54% in attentiveness plus a 34% rise in cognitive performance following a nap of 26 minutes (technically, this counted an initial six-minute nodding-off period). “I’d suggest setting a timer for half an hour or less – most people are asleep quickly,” explains a sleep coach. “You'll find much recommendations regarding the perfect length of minutes, however, that can make people feel more anxious than anything else – and the most counterproductive thing one can do while aiming to get to sleep is worry about it.”
If you plan to sleep for longer, avoid the 45-60 minute window that encourages sleep inertia, that disoriented sensation when you wake. “The science would say it’s better to have an extended nap lasting 60-90 minutes than a medium-length one,” explains the sleep scientist. “Three-quarters of an hour is enough time to send you into slow-wave sleep and it is more probable to feel sluggish upon awakening – while if you nap for a little longer to a full sleep cycle, it's likely you'll to be on the end of a sleep cycle and are likely to awaken feeling more alert. However, if you're dozing for an hour and a half, it may impact the quality of your sleep later that night.”
Creating the Right Sleep Space
When it comes to exact methodologies, advice differs. Certain specialists recommend employing similar routines you use to foster a good night’s sleep: a peaceful area, a supportive surface and as much darkness as possible. Some advise that it's fine to merely snooze in a chair in the existing light is present – to prevent sleep inertia and to maintain your sleeping quarters as the environment your mind associates with nighttime rest. “Napping is notoriously difficult to will,” says a sleep coach. “Lacking the urge to sleep, it is more challenging to lie down and basically tell yourself to nod off. There must be some drive there to initiate sleep in the first place. Personally, I can often nap during the day and wake up naturally without a timer, however, what assists a lot of people is to look for a time where they feel naturally somewhat sleepy and calmly ease into sleep.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and when you have few options – such as, when aiming to fit in 40 winks during a commute or in a work pod – there’s nothing wrong to employ sleep aids. “When I’m working with professional sportspeople, I suggest that they avoid becoming accustomed to sleeping in their bed, since they’re going to have|they will
