Tune into enough productivity podcasters, and it’s tempting to believe that a nap is a secret weapon: not just a band-aid after poor sleep, but a shortcut towards a better memory, improved mood and maybe quicker running times. Professional footballers do it regularly – and so are concert pianists, UFC champions & media moguls. Yet, when you haven’t got a dedicated nap-room or employment that permits daytime sleep, is it *truly* sufficient advantages to a short sleep to merit the kerfuffle? Does there exist a dependable method to fall asleep fast? Plus, is it possible to truly ensure you will get up feeling better, rather than worse?
Exploring Your Nap Motivation
“Experts note three primary motivations for taking a nap in the adult population,” says a leading circadian rhythm researcher. “Firstly, there's termed compensatory napping, essentially the action you take following insufficient sleep the previous night. The second is prophylactic napping, which involves pre-empting insufficient sleep ahead, for instance when working graveyard shifts. Finally, there's “pleasure-based sleep”, which basically is about desire: you get an opportunity to doze in the afternoon, and it's enjoyable to nap.”
The initial step to do, then, is to think about why you want to nap. “Napping can be really helpful when night sleeping is being disrupted for reasons outside your control – for instance, for a parent of a newborn, or recovering after being ill or heavy physical exertion,” explains a sleep expert. “But if you’re napping since your sleep at night feels fragile or unreliable, that can be a signal your body's sleep pressure is not as strong as it needs to be. Under those circumstances, naps can become part of the problem, not the solution. Utilize daytime sleep as a short-term solution for temporary issues – the priority must always be a solid and consistent night’s sleep.”
The Perfect Snooze Time
This means that naps must not be long enough to disrupt your nighttime sleep, and preferably are not recommended in the late afternoon (depending on when you sleep in the evening). How long is sensible? Guidelines are mixed. Among the most referenced research about napping, space agency scientists found that astronauts had improvements of over 50% in vigilance and a 34% boost in cognitive performance after a 26-minute nap (in detail, this involved a six-minute falling asleep phase). “I’d suggest setting an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – the majority doze off within 10 minutes,” says a sleep expert. “You'll find much advice around concerning the perfect length for sleeping, however, that can make people feel more stressed than anything – and the least helpful action one can do when trying to get to sleep is to be anxious.”
If you’re going to sleep for longer, bypass the 45-60 minute window that encourages that sluggish feeling, that spaced-out feeling upon waking. “Research suggests it's more effective to opt for a longer nap of one to one and a half hours compared to a medium-length nap,” says the professor. “Three-quarters of an hour is long enough to send you into slow-wave sleep and you’re more likely to feel groggy when you wake up – however, if you take it slightly longer to a full sleep cycle, you will probably to finish a natural sleep cycle and are likely to wake up feeling more rejuvenated. But if you're dozing for an hour and a half, it may impact how you sleep that night.”
Establishing the Perfect Sleep Space
As for specific techniques, advice differs. A few professionals suggest using the same protocol you use to foster a good night’s sleep: a quiet room, a comfortable bed and maximum darkness as possible. Alternatively, experts propose that you should simply nap in a chair in whatever light happens to be around – to prevent sleep inertia and to preserve your bedroom as the environment you associate with *real* sleep. “Napping is notoriously difficult to will,” notes a specialist. “Without the urge to sleep, it is more challenging to lie down and essentially tell yourself to fall asleep. There must be some sleep pressure available to initiate sleep in the first place. For me, it's possible to take a nap during the day and wake up naturally without an alarm, but what helps a lot of people is to wait for an instance that they’re naturally feeling a bit drowsy and then simply relax into it.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and should your choices are limited – such as, if attempting to grab some shut-eye while traveling or at the office – it's acceptable with bringing a few tools. “When I’m working with footballers, I advise that they not rely on sleeping in their bed, as they’re going to have|they will
