Listen to plenty of performance experts, and it’s tempting to convince yourself that a nap is a powerful tool: not just a sticking plaster following poor sleep, but a shortcut towards enhanced cognition, a brighter outlook and maybe 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 allows frequent naps, is it *truly* sufficient advantages to a short sleep to merit the hassle? Is there a reliable way to fall asleep fast? Plus, is it possible to truly ensure you will arise feeling refreshed, not worse?
Identifying Your Nap Motivation
“There are three key drivers for napping in the adult population,” says a professor of sleep and circadian science professor. “One is known as recovery napping, that is what you do when you’ve had poor sleep the previous night. Another is preparatory napping, where you are pre-empting sleep loss in the future, such as during on night shifts. The third is called “hedonic napping”, which simply boils down to the wish: you have a moment to doze in the daytime, and it's pleasant to indulge.”
The primary task to do, so, is to think about your reason for napping. “Naps can be really helpful when night sleeping is being disrupted because of factors you cannot change – for example, when you are a new parent, or if you are healing from illness or intense exercise,” explains a sleep specialist. “But if you’re napping as your night sleep is unstable or broken, that can be a sign your need for sleep is not as strong as it needs to be. In those cases, napping can become part of the problem, rather than the answer. Use napping as a short-term solution for temporary issues – the focus should still be a solid and consistent night’s sleep.”
The Optimal Nap Length
This implies that napping shouldn’t be sufficiently lengthy to affect your nighttime sleep, and ideally are not recommended in the late afternoon (based on what time you sleep in the evening). What duration is wise? Recommendations vary. In one of the most-cited studies regarding daytime sleep, space agency scientists found that astronauts had up to a 54% increase in vigilance plus a 34% rise in performance after a 26-minute nap (technically, this counted a six-minute falling asleep phase). “My advice is using an alarm for 20-30 minutes – most people are asleep in under ten minutes,” explains a sleep expert. “There is plenty of guidance out there about the optimal amount of time, but that tends to make people feel more anxious than anything – and the most counterproductive thing you can do while aiming to nod off is worry about it.”
If you plan to take an extended nap, steer clear of the 45-60 minute window that promotes sleep grogginess, that foggy state upon waking. “Studies suggests it's more effective to have a longer nap of one to one and a half hours than a medium-length one,” says the sleep scientist. “Three-quarters of an hour is long enough to plunge you into deep sleep and you’re more likely to feel groggy upon awakening – however, if you extend it slightly longer to 60 or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to finish a natural sleep cycle and should wake up feeling more refreshed. However, if you’re sleeping for an hour and a half, it will affect your sleep later that night.”
Establishing the Perfect Nap Environment
As for exact methodologies, advice differs. Certain specialists suggest adopting comparable habits one would use to foster a good night’s sleep: a silent space, a supportive surface and maximum darkness as possible. Alternatively, experts propose that it's fine to simply nap in a chair in the existing light is available – both to discourage that groggy feeling and to preserve your bedroom as the environment you associate with proper sleep. “Falling asleep is something really tricky to will,” says a sleep coach. “Without any drowsiness, it is tougher to get comfortable and essentially command yourself to nod off. There’s got to be some drive available to start the process to begin with. I can usually nap in full light and wake up naturally without an alarm, but what helps most folks is to wait for a time that they’re naturally feeling a bit drowsy and calmly ease into sleep.”
It’s worth experimenting, and when you have few options – such as, if you’re trying to grab a quick nap while traveling or at the office – there’s nothing wrong with bringing sleep aids. “Coaching professional sportspeople, I recommend that they not rely on sleeping in their bed, as they’re going to have|they will
