Hear enough self-improvement podcasters, and you'll be simple to think that napping is a secret weapon: not just a sticking plaster after poor sleep, but a route towards enhanced cognition, better spirits and possibly quicker running times. Elite footballers do it regularly – and so are concert pianists, mixed martial artists & high-profile executives. But if you don't have a room for napping or a job that permits frequent naps, is it *truly* worthwhile perks to a quick nap for it to be worth the kerfuffle? Does there exist a reliable way to fall asleep fast? Plus, is it possible to really guarantee you’ll wake up feeling improved, instead of groggy?
Identifying The Nap Motivation
“There are three key drivers for napping among most adults,” says an expert circadian rhythm specialist. “One is termed recovery napping, essentially what you do after experiencing poor sleep the night before. The second is preparatory napping, which involves preparing for insufficient sleep coming up, for instance if you’re working on night shifts. The third reason is “appetitive drive”, which essentially boils down to the wish: you get a moment to sleep during the day, and it feels nice to indulge.”
The initial step to undertake, therefore, is to examine why you want to nap. “Naps can be really helpful when overnight rest is disturbed for reasons you cannot change – for instance, if you’re a new parent, or recovering after being ill or strenuous activity,” says a sleep physiologist. “But if you take a nap since your night sleep seems unreliable or unreliable, that can be an indicator your sleep drive is not at the level it should be. In those cases, daytime sleep can turn into part of the problem, instead of the fix. Use napping as a short-term solution for temporary issues – the main goal should still be a robust and regular sleep at night.”
The Perfect Snooze Time
This implies that naps ought not to be too extended to affect your sleep at night, and preferably should not occur after about 3pm (based on what time you retire overnight). How long is sensible? Recommendations vary. In one of the most referenced research about napping, experts discovered that crew members had up to a 54% increase in attentiveness and a 34% increase in cognitive performance post a 26-minute snooze (to be precise, this counted a six-minute sleep onset time). “I’d suggest setting an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – many individuals doze off in under ten minutes,” explains a specialist. “There is plenty of recommendations about the optimal amount of time, but that tends to lead individuals to become more worried than anything else – and the most counterproductive thing you can do while aiming to get to sleep is worry about it.”
If you plan to sleep for longer, steer clear of the period between 45 and 60 minutes that induces that sluggish feeling, that foggy state when you wake. “Research indicates it’s better to have an extended nap of one to one and a half hours rather than a mid-length nap,” explains the sleep scientist. “Three-quarters of an hour is long enough to send you into a deep sleep stage and it is more probable to feel sluggish when you get up – whereas if you extend it a little longer to a full sleep cycle, it's likely you'll to be completing a full cycle and are likely to awaken feeling more alert. However, if you're dozing for a long period, it may impact your sleep later that night.”
Establishing the Right Snooze Setting
As for exact methodologies, recommendations vary. Certain specialists propose using comparable habits you use to encourage a good night’s sleep: a silent space, a cozy bed and minimal light as is feasible. Alternatively, experts propose that one could just doze on the sofa in the existing light happens to be around – both to discourage that groggy feeling and to preserve your bed as the place your mind associates with *real* sleep. “Falling asleep is quite challenging to force,” says a specialist. “Lacking any sleepiness, it becomes harder to lie down and practically tell yourself to nod off. There must be a natural inclination available to initiate sleep to begin with. Personally, I can often snooze in full light and naturally wake up without a timer, however, what assists most folks is to anticipate an instance where they feel naturally slightly tired and then simply ease into sleep.”
Experimentation is key, and when options are scarce – for example, when aiming to fit in some shut-eye during a commute or in a work pod – it is perfectly fine with bringing sleep aids. “In my work with footballers, I recommend that they don’t get used to sleeping in their bed, because they’re going to have|they will
