Hear plenty of productivity gurus, and it’s simple to believe that a nap is a secret weapon: not just a quick fix after restless night, but a shortcut towards enhanced cognition, a brighter outlook and perhaps quicker running times. Premier League athletes are all at it – as do concert pianists, UFC champions and high-profile executives. Yet, when you don't have a dedicated nap-room or employment that allows frequent naps, are there *really* sufficient advantages to a quick nap to merit the hassle? Does there exist a dependable method to nod off promptly? And can you truly ensure you will arise feeling refreshed, not worse?
Exploring The Reasons for Napping
“Experts note three primary motivations for taking a nap for many people,” notes a professor of sleep and circadian science professor. “Firstly, there's what we call recovery napping, that is what happens following insufficient sleep the previous night. Another is preparatory napping, which involves anticipating sleep loss in the future, such as during graveyard shifts. The third reason is “appetitive drive”, which simply is about desire: you get a moment to nap in the daytime, and it feels nice to do it.”
The primary task to consider, so, is to examine your nap motivation. “Naps can be really helpful when nighttime sleep is disturbed due to causes outside your control – such as, when you are a new parent, or if you are healing from sickness or strenuous activity,” explains a sleep expert. “Yet when you take a nap as your sleep at night seems unreliable or poor, that is frequently a sign your need for sleep is not as strong as required. Under those circumstances, daytime sleep can turn into a contributing factor, instead of the fix. Employ naps as a short-term solution to address immediate needs – the main goal must always be a solid and consistent sleep at night.”
The Perfect Nap Length
This means that daytime sleep ought not to be too extended to affect your sleep at night, and preferably shouldn’t take place in the late afternoon (contingent on what time you sleep in the evening). How long is sensible? Advice differs. Among the most referenced research on the subject, researchers at Nasa noted that space travelers had up to a 54% increase in vigilance plus a 34% rise in task performance post a 26-minute snooze (in detail, this included a six-minute long falling asleep phase). “I’d suggest using an alarm for 20-30 minutes – most people fall asleep within 10 minutes,” says a sleep coach. “There is plenty of guidance out there regarding the perfect length for sleeping, but that tends to make people feel more stressed than anything else – and the worst thing you can do when trying to get to sleep is to stress over it.”
Should you decide to take an extended nap, steer clear of the period between 45 and 60 minutes that encourages sleep grogginess, that disoriented sensation when you awaken. “The science would say it is preferable to have an extended nap of one to one and a half hours than a medium-length one,” explains the expert. “Forty-five minutes is enough time to plunge you into slow-wave sleep making it more likely to feel groggy when you wake up – however, if you extend it a bit longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you’re likely to finish a natural sleep cycle and will probably awaken feeling more alert. Though if you’re sleeping for a long period, it can influence the quality of your sleep later that night.”
Finding the Right Nap Environment
Regarding exact methodologies, advice differs. Some experts recommend employing similar routines you’d use to foster restful sleep: a quiet room, a cozy bed and as much darkness as possible. Others suggest that it's fine to simply nap on the sofa in whatever light happens to be around – to avoid sleep inertia and to maintain your bed as the space your brain links with proper sleep. “Napping is notoriously difficult to will,” notes a specialist. “Without any drowsiness, it becomes harder to lie down and essentially tell yourself to nod off. You need some drive there to bring the sleep on to begin with. Personally, I can often take a nap during the day and awaken on my own alarm-free, but what helps most folks is to look for a moment where they feel naturally slightly tired and calmly ease into sleep.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and when you have few options – for example, if you’re trying to squeeze in 40 winks during a commute or in a soundproof office pod – it's acceptable to use sleep aids. “When I’m working with footballers, I advise that they don’t get used to napping in bed, because they’re going to have|they will
