Tune into enough productivity podcasters, making it tempting to convince yourself that napping is a powerful tool: not just a sticking plaster after poor sleep, but a path to a better memory, improved mood and perhaps improved athletic performance. Premier League footballers do it regularly – along with professional piano players, UFC champions and business leaders. However, if you haven’t got a dedicated nap-room or employment that encourages frequent naps, can there *honestly* worthwhile perks to a burst of shut-eye to justify the hassle? Is there a reliable way to get to sleep quickly enough? Plus, is it possible to really guarantee you will arise feeling better, not worse?
Exploring The Drive to Snooze
“Experts note three key drivers for napping for many people,” says a professor of sleep and circadian science specialist. “One is known as recovery napping, essentially what happens following a lack of sleep the night before. Another is preparatory napping, which involves preparing for sleep loss coming up, for example if you’re working graveyard shifts. The third is called “hedonic napping”, which basically boils down to desire: you have an opportunity to doze during the day, and it's pleasant to nap.”
The initial step to consider, then, is to examine why you want to nap. “Naps can be genuinely useful when nighttime sleep is disturbed for reasons beyond your control – for example, if you’re a new parent, or recovering after being ill or intense exercise,” says a sleep specialist. “However, if you take a nap as your sleep at night is unstable or unreliable, that’s often an indicator your need for sleep is not where required. In such situations, daytime sleep can turn into part of the problem, rather than the answer. Utilize daytime sleep as a short-term solution for temporary issues – the focus should still be a robust and regular overnight rest.”
The Perfect Nap Length
This implies that napping ought not to be sufficiently lengthy to affect your sleep at night, and preferably should not occur in the late afternoon (depending on when you retire overnight). What's a reasonable length? Advice differs. In one of a prominent study on the subject, researchers at Nasa found that crew members experienced up to a 54% increase in attentiveness and a 34% increase in cognitive performance after a 26-minute nap (technically, this counted an initial six-minute sleep onset time). “I’d suggest setting a timer for 20-30 minutes – the majority fall asleep in under ten minutes,” explains a sleep expert. “There’s a lot of advice around about the optimal amount for sleeping, however, that can lead individuals to become more anxious than anything – and the worst thing one can do while aiming to nod off is to be anxious.”
If you’re going to sleep for longer, bypass the period between 45 and 60 minutes that promotes that sluggish feeling, that spaced-out feeling when you awaken. “Research would say it is preferable to have a lengthier snooze lasting 60-90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” says the sleep scientist. “Three-quarters of an hour is enough time to plunge you into a deep sleep stage and you’re more likely to feel disoriented when you wake up – however, if you nap for a bit longer to an hour or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to be on the end a natural sleep cycle and will probably get up feeling more alert. Though if you nap for an hour and a half, it can influence your sleep that night.”
Finding the Perfect Nap Environment
Regarding exact methodologies, suggestions are diverse. Some experts suggest using comparable habits you’d use to encourage quality nighttime sleep: a quiet room, a cozy bed and maximum darkness as is feasible. Others suggest that it's fine to merely snooze on the sofa with ambient lighting happens to be around – to prevent post-nap grogginess and to “protect” your bedroom as the space you associate with *real* sleep. “Sleep is quite challenging to force,” notes a sleep coach. “Lacking the urge to sleep, it is tougher to recline and basically tell yourself to go to sleep. There’s got to be some drive present to initiate sleep initially. For me, it's possible to nap during the day and naturally wake up without a timer, though, what aids a lot of people is to wait for a moment when they are naturally feeling a bit drowsy and just gently relax into it.”
Experimentation is key, and should options are scarce – such as, if attempting to squeeze in a quick nap during a commute or in a soundproof office pod – it's acceptable with bringing some accessories. “In my work with elite athletes, I recommend that they not rely on their own bed for naps, because they’re going to have|they will
