Listen to enough productivity experts, and it’s easy to convince yourself that dozing is a superpower: more than a sticking plaster after restless night, but a shortcut towards improved recall, improved mood and perhaps a faster 5k run time. Premier League footballers do it regularly – along with musicians, fighters and high-profile executives. Yet, when you lack a room for napping or a job that allows frequent naps, is it *truly* worthwhile perks to a burst of shut-eye to merit the hassle? Does there exist a surefire technique to nod off promptly? Furthermore, can you truly ensure you will arise feeling refreshed, not worse?
Exploring The Nap Motivation
“We can identify three primary motivations for napping for many people,” notes an expert circadian rhythm specialist. “The first is termed make-up sleep, that is the action you take when you’ve had poor sleep the night before. Another is prophylactic napping, when you are pre-empting sleep loss coming up, for instance when working on night shifts. The third is called “hedonic napping”, which essentially comes down to the wish: you get an opportunity to nap during the day, and it feels nice to indulge.”
The initial step to undertake, then, is to examine why you want to nap. “Daytime sleep can be genuinely useful when nighttime sleep gets interrupted for reasons outside your control – for example, if you’re a new parent, or recovering from sickness or heavy physical exertion,” states a sleep physiologist. “But if you take a nap as your nighttime sleep is unstable or unreliable, that can be a signal your sleep drive is not where it should be. In those cases, naps can become a contributing factor, rather than the answer. Employ naps as a temporary measure to address immediate needs – the main goal should still be a strong and predictable night’s sleep.”
The Ideal Snooze Time
Therefore that daytime sleep must not be too extended to affect your overnight rest, and best should not occur post-3 p.m. (contingent on the time you sleep in the evening). What's a reasonable length? Recommendations vary. Among a prominent study about napping, space agency scientists discovered that astronauts had improvements of over 50% in alertness and a 34% increase in task performance following a nap of 26 minutes (in detail, this involved an initial six-minute falling asleep phase). “My advice is using an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – many individuals are asleep within 10 minutes,” explains a specialist. “There is plenty of guidance out there regarding the optimal amount for sleeping, yet that often lead individuals to become more worried than anything – and the least helpful action you can do when trying to fall asleep is worry about it.”
Should you decide to sleep for longer, bypass the 45-60 minute window that encourages that sluggish feeling, that disoriented sensation upon waking. “Research suggests it's more effective to take a lengthier snooze of 60 to 90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” notes the expert. “Three-quarters of an hour is enough time to send you into slow-wave sleep making it more likely to feel sluggish when you get up – whereas if you extend it a little longer to 60 or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to be completing of a sleep cycle and should wake up feeling more refreshed. But if you nap for a long period, it may impact how you sleep later that night.”
Creating an Ideal Sleep Space
When it comes to exact methodologies, advice differs. A few professionals suggest employing comparable habits you use to promote quality nighttime sleep: a peaceful area, a supportive surface and maximum darkness as you can manage. Alternatively, experts propose that it's fine to just doze in a chair in the existing light is available – to prevent that groggy feeling and to preserve your bedroom as the place your brain links with *real* sleep. “Falling asleep is something really tricky to force,” says a sleep coach. “Without any sleepiness, it is more challenging to get comfortable and essentially instruct yourself to go to sleep. You need a natural inclination there to start the process to begin with. For me, it's possible to snooze in broad daylight and naturally wake up without a timer, but what helps a lot of people is to wait for a moment when they are naturally somewhat sleepy and then simply ease into sleep.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and if you have few options – for instance, if you’re trying to grab some shut-eye during a commute or in a work pod – it is perfectly fine with bringing some accessories. “When I’m working with elite athletes, I recommend that they not rely on napping in bed, as they’re going to have|they will
