Hear enough productivity podcasters, and you'll be easy to think that napping is a powerful tool: not just a band-aid following restless night, but a path towards enhanced cognition, a brighter outlook and perhaps quicker running times. Elite soccer players are all at it – along with professional piano players, mixed martial artists and high-profile executives. However, if you lack a dedicated nap-room or a career that permits regular snoozing, can there *honestly* enough benefits to a short sleep to merit the kerfuffle? Is there a dependable method to get to sleep quickly enough? Furthermore, can you truly ensure you will arise feeling improved, not worse?
Identifying The Reasons for Napping
“Experts note three main reasons for napping for many people,” notes a leading circadian rhythm specialist. “The first is termed compensatory napping, essentially the action you take following a lack of sleep the night before. Secondly, there's prophylactic napping, which involves pre-empting a sleep deficit ahead, for example if you’re working graveyard shifts. The third reason is “pleasure-based sleep”, which simply comes down to desire: you get a chance to doze in the daytime, and it's enjoyable to do it.”
The initial step to do, so, is consider your reason for napping. “Daytime sleep can be really helpful when night sleeping is disturbed due to causes outside your control – for instance, for a parent of a newborn, or you’re recovering after being ill or strenuous activity,” states a sleep physiologist. “However, if you take a nap since your nighttime sleep is unstable or poor, that’s often a sign your need for sleep is not where it should be. In such situations, daytime sleep can turn into a contributing factor, instead of the fix. Employ naps as a temporary measure for short-term problems – the focus must always be a solid and consistent overnight rest.”
The Optimal Nap Length
Therefore that daytime sleep ought not to be sufficiently lengthy to disrupt your overnight rest, and preferably are not recommended after about 3pm (depending on what time you go to bed in the evening). What duration is wise? Advice differs. Among the most referenced research about napping, space agency scientists noted that crew members had a boost of up to 54% in vigilance and a 34% increase in task performance after a 26-minute nap (in detail, this counted a six-minute nodding-off period). “I’d suggest setting an alarm for half an hour or less – most people fall asleep quickly,” explains a sleep expert. “There’s a lot of recommendations regarding the optimal amount for sleeping, but that tends to make people feel more anxious than anything – and the worst thing you can possibly do while aiming to get to sleep is worry about it.”
If you’re going to sleep for longer, steer clear of the 45 to 60 minute range that induces sleep inertia, that spaced-out feeling when you awaken. “Research would say it’s better to have a lengthier snooze lasting 60-90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” explains the expert. “Three-quarters of an hour is enough time to plunge you into a deep sleep stage and it is more probable to feel sluggish when you get up – however, if you nap for a little longer to a full sleep cycle, it's likely you'll to be completing a full cycle and will probably wake up feeling more refreshed. But if you’re sleeping for an hour and a half, it may impact the quality of your sleep later that night.”
Establishing the Perfect Snooze Setting
Regarding exact methodologies, suggestions are diverse. A few professionals recommend employing similar routines you use to encourage restful sleep: a silent space, a supportive surface and maximum darkness as you can manage. Some advise that one could just doze in a chair in whatever light is present – both to discourage post-nap grogginess and to “protect” your bedroom as the place you associate with *real* sleep. “Falling asleep is quite challenging to command,” explains a specialist. “Without any sleepiness, it becomes harder to get comfortable and basically instruct yourself to go to sleep. You need some sleep pressure present to initiate sleep initially. Personally, I can often take a nap in broad daylight and wake up naturally without a timer, but what helps most folks is to look for a moment that they’re naturally somewhat sleepy and calmly relax into it.”
Experimentation is key, and when your choices are limited – for example, when aiming to grab some shut-eye while traveling or at the office – there’s nothing wrong to use sleep aids. “When I’m working with elite athletes, I suggest that they not rely on sleeping in their bed, as they’re going to have|they will
