Hear enough performance gurus, and it’s easy to convince yourself that dozing is a superpower: rather than a band-aid after poor sleep, but a path towards a better memory, a brighter outlook and perhaps quicker running times. Elite athletes are all at it – and so are professional piano players, mixed martial artists & business leaders. Yet, when you haven’t got a room for napping or a career that allows regular snoozing, can there *honestly* worthwhile perks to a burst of shut-eye to justify the hassle? Can you find a dependable method to get to sleep quickly enough? Furthermore, can you really guarantee you will get up feeling refreshed, instead of groggy?
Understanding The Reasons for Napping
“Experts note three key drivers for taking a nap among most adults,” says a professor of sleep science researcher. “The first is what we call make-up sleep, that is what you do when you’ve had insufficient sleep the night before. The second is preparatory napping, when you are preparing for sleep loss in the future, for instance during graveyard shifts. Finally, there's “appetitive drive”, which essentially comes down to desire: you have a moment to sleep in the daytime, and it's enjoyable to indulge.”
The primary task to consider, therefore, is consider your reason for napping. “Daytime sleep can be truly beneficial when nighttime sleep gets interrupted for reasons beyond your control – for example, if you’re caring for an infant, or if you are healing from sickness or heavy physical exertion,” says a sleep specialist. “Yet when you take a nap as your sleep at night is unstable or unreliable, that is frequently an indicator your body's sleep pressure is not where it should be. In such situations, napping can become part of the problem, instead of the fix. Utilize daytime sleep for brief periods to address immediate needs – the priority should still be a solid and consistent night’s sleep.”
The Perfect Snooze Time
Therefore that naps ought not to be sufficiently lengthy to disrupt your sleep at night, and best shouldn’t take place in the late afternoon (contingent on when you sleep at night). What duration is wise? Recommendations vary. In one of the most-cited studies on the subject, experts noted that astronauts showed a boost of up to 54% in alertness and a 34% increase in performance after a 26-minute nap (technically, this counted a six-minute sleep onset time). “My advice is using an alarm for 20-30 minutes – many individuals are asleep within 10 minutes,” says a sleep coach. “You'll find much guidance out there concerning the perfect length for sleeping, but that tends to make people feel more stressed than anything else – and the most counterproductive thing you can possibly do when attempting to get to sleep is to be anxious.”
Should you decide to take an extended nap, avoid the 45 to 60 minute range that promotes sleep inertia, that disoriented sensation upon waking. “The science would say it’s better to take a lengthier snooze lasting 60-90 minutes than a medium-length one,” notes the sleep scientist. “Forty-five minutes is sufficient to plunge you into deep sleep making it more likely to feel groggy when you wake up – whereas if you extend it a bit longer to 60 or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to be on the end of a sleep cycle and are likely to get up feeling more refreshed. Though if you’re sleeping for an hour and a half, it will affect how you sleep later that night.”
Establishing an Ideal Sleep Space
When it comes to specific techniques, suggestions are diverse. A few professionals propose employing similar routines you use to promote quality nighttime sleep: a silent space, a supportive surface and maximum darkness as you can manage. Some advise that it's fine to merely snooze in a chair in whatever light happens to be around – both to discourage sleep inertia and to preserve your sleeping quarters as the environment your mind associates with *real* sleep. “Napping is something really tricky to will,” notes an expert. “If you don’t have the urge to sleep, it becomes harder to get comfortable and basically instruct yourself to nod off. You need a natural inclination available to bring the sleep on to begin with. Personally, I can often snooze in full light and awaken on my own without an alarm, though, what aids a lot of people is to look for a time that they’re naturally feeling a bit drowsy and just gently ease into sleep.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and when your choices are limited – for example, if you’re trying to grab 40 winks while traveling or in a soundproof office pod – it is perfectly fine to employ some accessories. “In my work with footballers, I advise that they avoid becoming accustomed to sleeping in their bed, since they’re going to have|they will
