Listen to a few self-improvement gurus, and you'll be simple to convince yourself that a nap is a superpower: not just a sticking plaster following restless night, but a shortcut to improved recall, a brighter outlook and maybe a faster 5k run time. Professional athletes are all at it – along with professional piano players, mixed martial artists and business leaders. But if you haven’t got a dedicated nap-room or a career that encourages frequent naps, can there *honestly* worthwhile perks to a short sleep for it to be worth the hassle? Does there exist a surefire technique to fall asleep fast? Plus, is it possible to truly ensure you will get up feeling better, not worse?
Exploring Your Nap Motivation
“Experts note three main reasons for taking a nap among most adults,” says a professor of sleep and circadian science researcher. “Firstly, there's what we call compensatory napping, that is the action you take after experiencing insufficient sleep the previous night. Another is prophylactic napping, which involves preparing for sleep loss coming up, such as during overnight shifts. The third reason is “appetitive drive”, which essentially is about desire: you get a chance to nap during the day, and it feels nice to indulge.”
The primary task to undertake, so, is to examine your nap motivation. “Napping can be genuinely useful when overnight rest gets interrupted for reasons you cannot change – for instance, if you’re a parent of a newborn, or recovering after being ill or heavy physical exertion,” explains a sleep expert. “Yet when you nap since your nighttime sleep is unstable or poor, that is frequently an indicator your need for sleep is not at the level it needs to be. In such situations, daytime sleep can turn into part of the problem, instead of the fix. Utilize daytime sleep as a temporary measure for short-term problems – the priority ought to remain a solid and consistent sleep at night.”
The Optimal Snooze Time
This implies that daytime sleep must not be long enough to disrupt your sleep at night, and preferably are not recommended post-3 p.m. (depending on the time you sleep overnight). What's a reasonable length? Recommendations vary. Among a prominent study about napping, space agency scientists discovered that space travelers showed up to a 54% increase in alertness plus a 34% rise in task performance post a 26-minute snooze (to be precise, this counted a six-minute nodding-off period). “I’d suggest setting a timer for 20-30 minutes – many individuals are asleep in under ten minutes,” notes a sleep expert. “You'll find much guidance out there regarding the perfect length for sleeping, but that tends to make people feel more worried than anything – and the worst thing you can possibly do when attempting to get to sleep is to stress over it.”
Should you decide to sleep for longer, avoid the 45-60 minute window that induces that sluggish feeling, that disoriented sensation when you wake. “The science indicates it's more effective to take a lengthier snooze of one to one and a half hours than a medium-length one,” notes the sleep scientist. “45 minutes is enough time to plunge you into slow-wave sleep making it more likely to feel disoriented when you wake up – while if you take it a little longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you will probably to finish a full cycle and will probably wake up feeling more rejuvenated. Though if you’re sleeping for a long period, it may impact the quality of your sleep in the evening.”
Creating the Perfect Sleep Space
As for specific techniques, recommendations vary. A few professionals recommend adopting comparable habits one would use to foster quality nighttime sleep: a silent space, a supportive surface and minimal light as possible. Some advise that it's fine to simply nap in a chair in whatever light happens to be around – to avoid that groggy feeling and to “protect” your bed as the place your mind associates with proper sleep. “Napping is notoriously difficult to command,” explains a sleep coach. “Without the urge to sleep, it becomes harder to get comfortable and essentially command yourself to fall asleep. There must be some drive present to start the process to begin with. I can usually snooze in full light and naturally wake up without an alarm, however, what assists a lot of people is to look for a moment that they’re naturally somewhat sleepy and just gently ease into sleep.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and if options are scarce – such as, if you’re trying to fit in 40 winks during a commute or at the office – it is perfectly fine with bringing sleep aids. “When I’m working with footballers, I advise that they don’t get used to sleeping in their bed, since they’re going to have|they will
