Hear plenty of productivity experts, making it tempting to believe that dozing is a superpower: rather than a sticking plaster after restless night, but a route to a better memory, improved mood and maybe a faster 5k run time. Premier League footballers do it regularly – and so are professional piano players, UFC champions and media moguls. But if you haven’t got a dedicated nap-room or employment that permits frequent naps, can there *honestly* enough benefits to a quick nap to merit the kerfuffle? Does there exist a dependable method to fall asleep fast? And can you honestly promise you will arise feeling better, instead of groggy?
Exploring Your Drive to Snooze
“Experts note three primary motivations for daytime sleep for many people,” says an expert sleep science researcher. “One is termed recovery napping, that is the action you take when you’ve had a lack of sleep overnight. Another is preparatory napping, which involves pre-empting a sleep deficit in the future, for instance when working on night shifts. Finally, there's “appetitive drive”, which basically comes down to the wish: there is a chance to doze during the day, and it's pleasant to do it.”
The first thing to consider, therefore, is to think about your reason for napping. “Naps can be truly beneficial when night sleeping gets interrupted for reasons outside your control – such as, for a new parent, or recovering from sickness or heavy physical exertion,” explains a sleep specialist. “Yet when you take a nap since your night sleep seems unreliable or unreliable, that’s often a signal your need for sleep is not as strong as required. In such situations, daytime sleep can turn into part of the issue, instead of the fix. Use napping as a short-term solution to address immediate needs – the focus ought to remain a robust and regular overnight rest.”
The Perfect Nap Duration
Therefore that naps shouldn’t be sufficiently lengthy to disrupt your nighttime sleep, and best shouldn’t take place in the late afternoon (based on what time you sleep overnight). What duration is wise? Advice differs. In one of the most-cited studies about napping, researchers at Nasa noted that astronauts showed a boost of up to 54% in alertness and a 34% increase in performance post a 26-minute snooze (technically, this included a six-minute sleep onset time). “My advice is setting a timer for 20-30 minutes – most people doze off within 10 minutes,” says a sleep expert. “There is plenty of advice around concerning the optimal amount of minutes, but that tends to lead individuals to become more worried than anything else – and the worst thing you can do when attempting to get to sleep is to stress over it.”
If you plan to take an extended nap, avoid the period between 45 and 60 minutes that induces sleep grogginess, that spaced-out feeling when you wake. “Research indicates it is preferable to opt for a longer nap of 60 to 90 minutes than a medium-length one,” explains the sleep scientist. “Three-quarters of an hour is enough time to send you into slow-wave sleep making it more likely to feel groggy when you get up – however, if you extend it slightly longer to a full sleep cycle, you’re likely to be on the end a natural sleep cycle and are likely to wake up feeling more refreshed. Though if you’re sleeping for a long period, it can influence your sleep that night.”
Finding the Right Snooze Setting
As for precise methods, recommendations vary. Some experts propose employing comparable habits you’d use to promote quality nighttime sleep: a quiet room, a comfortable bed and maximum darkness as you can manage. Alternatively, experts propose that it's fine to merely snooze on a couch in whatever light is present – to prevent that groggy feeling and to preserve your bedroom as the place you associate with proper sleep. “Sleep is something really tricky to command,” explains a specialist. “Without any drowsiness, it becomes harder to get comfortable and essentially command yourself to nod off. There’s got to be a natural inclination there to start the process to begin with. Personally, I can often snooze in full light and awaken on my own without a timer, though, what aids a lot of people is to wait for a moment where they feel naturally feeling a bit drowsy and just gently allow sleep to come.”
Experimentation is key, and if you have few options – such as, when aiming to grab a quick nap during a commute or at the office – it is perfectly fine with bringing sleep aids. “Coaching professional sportspeople, I recommend that they not rely on napping in bed, because they’re going to have|they will
