Listen to enough performance gurus, making it tempting to believe that dozing is a secret weapon: not just a sticking plaster following a bad night’s sleep, but a shortcut to a better memory, a brighter outlook and possibly improved athletic performance. Elite athletes swear by it – along with musicians, UFC champions and business leaders. However, if you don't have a room for napping or a career that permits regular snoozing, is it *truly* worthwhile perks to a burst of shut-eye for it to be worth the hassle? Is there a dependable method to nod off promptly? And can you really guarantee you will arise feeling better, not worse?
Exploring Your Reasons for Napping
“There are three primary motivations for taking a nap for many people,” notes an expert sleep and circadian science specialist. “The first is known as compensatory napping, which is what happens when you’ve had poor sleep the night before. Another is prophylactic napping, which involves anticipating a sleep deficit coming up, for example when working overnight shifts. The third reason is “pleasure-based sleep”, which simply is about the wish: you get an opportunity to nap during the day, and it feels nice to indulge.”
The first thing to consider, so, is consider why you want to nap. “Napping can be truly beneficial when overnight rest is disturbed for reasons outside your control – such as, if you’re a new parent, or recovering from illness or intense exercise,” explains a sleep specialist. “But if you’re napping because your sleep at night is unstable or broken, that’s often a signal your body's sleep pressure is not as strong as it needs to be. In those cases, daytime sleep can turn into part of the problem, instead of the fix. Employ naps as a short-term solution for short-term problems – the focus should still be a solid and consistent night’s sleep.”
The Ideal Snooze Time
This implies that naps must not be long enough to interfere with your overnight rest, and best should not occur after about 3pm (depending on when you sleep in the evening). What duration is wise? Guidelines are mixed. Among the most-cited studies about napping, space agency scientists discovered that crew members experienced up to a 54% increase in alertness plus a 34% rise in performance after a 26-minute nap (to be precise, this counted an initial six-minute nodding-off period). “My advice is using an alarm for half an hour or less – most people doze off quickly,” explains a specialist. “There’s a lot of recommendations regarding the ideal number of minutes, yet that often cause people to feel more worried than anything else – and the worst thing one can do when trying to fall asleep is to stress over it.”
If you plan to take an extended nap, avoid the 45-60 minute window that promotes that sluggish feeling, that foggy state when you awaken. “Research would say it is preferable to have a longer nap lasting 60-90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” notes the professor. “Forty-five minutes is enough time to put you into slow-wave sleep and you’re more likely to feel disoriented upon awakening – whereas if you take it slightly longer to a full sleep cycle, it's likely you'll to finish a full cycle and should wake up feeling more refreshed. But if you’re sleeping for an hour and a half, it may impact how you sleep that night.”
Finding the Perfect Nap Environment
When it comes to specific techniques, advice differs. Some experts propose adopting the same protocol one would use to promote quality nighttime sleep: a peaceful area, a cozy bed and maximum darkness as is feasible. Some advise that it's fine to merely snooze in a chair with ambient lighting is present – to prevent that groggy feeling and to maintain your bedroom as the place your mind associates with *real* sleep. “Falling asleep is something really tricky to command,” says a specialist. “Without the urge to sleep, it is tougher to get comfortable and practically instruct yourself to nod off. You need a natural inclination there to bring the sleep on to begin with. For me, it's possible to take a nap in full light and naturally wake up without a timer, but what helps most folks is to look for a time when they are naturally somewhat sleepy and then simply allow sleep to come.”
It’s worth experimenting, and should you have few options – such as, when aiming to grab 40 winks while traveling or in a work pod – there’s nothing wrong to employ sleep aids. “Coaching professional sportspeople, I advise that they not rely on napping in bed, because they’re going to have|they will
