Tune into enough productivity experts, and you'll be simple to think that napping is a powerful tool: rather than a sticking plaster following restless night, but a shortcut to a better memory, a brighter outlook and possibly a faster 5k run time. Premier League footballers do it regularly – and so are concert pianists, mixed martial artists and high-profile executives. Yet, when you haven’t got a room for napping or a job that allows frequent naps, is it *truly* enough benefits to a short sleep for it to be worth the kerfuffle? Can you find a dependable method to fall asleep fast? Plus, is it possible to really guarantee you will arise feeling refreshed, instead of groggy?
Identifying The Drive to Snooze
“There are three main reasons for napping for many people,” says a professor of circadian rhythm specialist. “Firstly, there's known as make-up sleep, that is what happens when you’ve had insufficient sleep the night before. Another is pre-emptive sleep, when you are preparing for a sleep deficit ahead, for instance during on night shifts. Finally, there's “appetitive drive”, which basically is about wanting: you have an opportunity to nap during the day, and it's pleasant to do it.”
The first thing to do, therefore, is to think about your nap motivation. “Naps can be genuinely useful when overnight rest gets interrupted for reasons you cannot change – for instance, for caring for an infant, or you’re recovering after being ill or heavy physical exertion,” says a sleep expert. “But if you take a nap as your nighttime sleep feels fragile or broken, that’s often an indicator your sleep drive is not where required. In those cases, napping can become part of the problem, rather than the answer. Use napping for brief periods to address immediate needs – the focus must always be a strong and predictable night’s sleep.”
The Optimal Snooze Time
Therefore that naps shouldn’t be long enough to disrupt your overnight rest, and preferably shouldn’t take place after about 3pm (depending on what time you sleep in the evening). How long is sensible? Recommendations vary. Among the most-cited studies about napping, experts noted that space travelers showed a boost of up to 54% in attentiveness and a 34% increase in performance post a 26-minute snooze (to be precise, this involved a six-minute nodding-off period). “My advice is setting an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – many individuals fall asleep within 10 minutes,” explains a sleep expert. “There’s a lot of advice around concerning the optimal amount of time, however, that can lead individuals to become more stressed than anything – and the least helpful action one can do when trying to fall asleep is worry about it.”
If you’re going to nap for a longer period, avoid the period between 45 and 60 minutes that promotes sleep inertia, that foggy state when you awaken. “The science suggests it’s better to opt for a lengthier snooze of one to one and a half hours than a medium-length one,” explains the professor. “Forty-five minutes is enough time to plunge you into a deep sleep stage making it more likely to feel groggy upon awakening – whereas if you nap for slightly longer to 60 or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to be completing of a sleep cycle and will probably awaken feeling more alert. Though if you're dozing for an hour and a half, it will affect how you sleep in the evening.”
Finding the Perfect Snooze Setting
As for precise methods, suggestions are diverse. Some experts suggest adopting the same protocol you’d use to promote quality nighttime sleep: a quiet room, a comfortable bed and maximum darkness as possible. Some advise that you should simply nap in a chair in the existing light is available – both to discourage post-nap grogginess and to preserve your bed as the space your mind associates with nighttime rest. “Sleep is quite challenging to force,” notes a specialist. “If you don’t have the urge to sleep, it is tougher to lie down and practically command yourself to go to sleep. There’s got to be some sleep pressure present to bring the sleep on initially. Personally, I can often take a nap during the day and naturally wake up alarm-free, however, what assists many individuals is to anticipate an instance that they’re naturally feeling a bit drowsy and just gently ease into sleep.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and should options are scarce – such as, if you’re trying to squeeze in 40 winks while traveling or in a soundproof office pod – it's acceptable with bringing sleep aids. “In my work with elite athletes, I suggest that they avoid becoming accustomed to their own bed for naps, as they’re going to have|they will
