Listen to a few productivity experts, making it tempting to believe that a nap is a powerful tool: not just a sticking plaster following a bad night’s sleep, but a shortcut towards improved recall, better spirits and possibly improved athletic performance. Elite soccer players do it regularly – as do concert pianists, UFC champions & media moguls. Yet, when you lack a dedicated nap-room or a career that permits daytime sleep, are there *really* sufficient advantages to a burst of shut-eye for it to be worth the hassle? Does there exist a surefire technique to nod off promptly? Plus, is it possible to honestly promise you’ll wake up feeling better, not worse?
Exploring Your Reasons for Napping
“There are three primary motivations for napping for many people,” notes an expert sleep and circadian science researcher. “Firstly, there's known as compensatory napping, that is what you do after experiencing insufficient sleep overnight. The second is preparatory napping, where you are pre-empting sleep loss ahead, for instance if you’re working overnight shifts. The third is called “pleasure-based sleep”, which basically boils down to the wish: you get a moment to sleep in the daytime, and it's enjoyable to indulge.”
The first thing to undertake, therefore, is consider your reason for napping. “Daytime sleep can be really helpful when overnight rest is being disrupted for reasons you cannot change – for example, if you’re a parent of a newborn, or you’re recovering from sickness or strenuous activity,” explains a sleep specialist. “Yet when you nap as your nighttime sleep seems unreliable or broken, that can be a sign your sleep drive is not as strong as it needs to be. In such situations, naps can become part of the issue, instead of the fix. Utilize daytime sleep as a short-term solution for short-term problems – the focus ought to remain a solid and consistent sleep at night.”
The Perfect Nap Duration
This implies that naps shouldn’t be too extended to interfere with your sleep at night, and best are not recommended in the late afternoon (depending on what time you sleep at night). What's a reasonable length? Advice differs. Among the most referenced research regarding daytime sleep, experts found that crew members experienced a boost of up to 54% in vigilance plus a 34% rise in cognitive performance following a nap of 26 minutes (in detail, this involved a six-minute long falling asleep phase). “I recommend setting a timer for 20 to 30 minutes – the majority fall asleep quickly,” says a sleep expert. “There is plenty of advice around regarding the perfect length of time, however, that can lead individuals to become more worried than anything – and the least helpful action you can possibly do when attempting to get to sleep is worry about it.”
Should you decide to nap for a longer period, steer clear of the 45-60 minute window that promotes sleep grogginess, that disoriented sensation when you wake. “The science would say it’s better to have a lengthier snooze of one to one and a half hours compared to a medium-length nap,” notes the expert. “Forty-five minutes is sufficient to send you into slow-wave sleep and you’re more likely to feel disoriented upon awakening – whereas if you take it a little longer to a full sleep cycle, you will probably to finish a full cycle and are likely to get up feeling more refreshed. Though if you nap for a long period, it may impact your sleep that night.”
Creating the Perfect Nap Environment
As for exact methodologies, recommendations vary. A few professionals propose employing the same protocol one would use to encourage a good night’s sleep: a peaceful area, a supportive surface and minimal light as possible. Others suggest that one could just doze in a chair in whatever light happens to be around – both to discourage that groggy feeling and to maintain your bedroom as the space you associate with nighttime rest. “Falling asleep is quite challenging to command,” explains an expert. “Lacking any sleepiness, it becomes harder to get comfortable and essentially tell yourself to go to sleep. There’s got to be a natural inclination there to initiate sleep to begin with. Personally, I can often nap in broad daylight and naturally wake up without an alarm, but what helps most folks is to anticipate a moment when they are naturally somewhat sleepy and then simply ease into sleep.”
It’s worth experimenting, and should your choices are limited – for instance, if attempting to fit in 40 winks during a commute or in a soundproof office pod – it's acceptable with bringing some accessories. “Coaching professional sportspeople, I advise that they not rely on sleeping in their bed, since they’re going to have|they will
