Listen to a few productivity podcasters, and you'll be simple to think that dozing is a secret weapon: more than a band-aid after poor sleep, but a shortcut towards a better memory, a brighter outlook and maybe a faster 5k run time. Premier League footballers swear by it – and so are professional piano players, mixed martial artists & media moguls. Yet, when you lack a special sleep space or a career that encourages regular snoozing, are there *really* enough benefits to a burst of shut-eye to merit the hassle? Does there exist a surefire technique to nod off promptly? Plus, is it possible to truly ensure you will arise feeling better, rather than worse?
Identifying Your Drive to Snooze
“There are three main reasons for taking a nap for many people,” explains a professor of circadian rhythm researcher. “One is termed make-up sleep, which is the action you take when you’ve had insufficient sleep overnight. The second is prophylactic napping, where you are preparing for insufficient sleep in the future, such as when working on night shifts. The third is called “pleasure-based sleep”, which essentially is about desire: there is a chance to nap in the afternoon, and it's pleasant to indulge.”
The initial step to do, therefore, is to examine your reason for napping. “Daytime sleep can be genuinely useful when night sleeping is being disrupted due to causes beyond your control – such as, for a parent of a newborn, or you’re recovering after being ill or heavy physical exertion,” states a sleep physiologist. “But if you take a nap because your night sleep feels fragile or unreliable, that is frequently a signal your sleep drive is not where it should be. Under those circumstances, daytime sleep can turn into a contributing factor, not the solution. Utilize daytime sleep as a temporary measure for short-term problems – the focus ought to remain a strong and predictable night’s sleep.”
The Ideal Nap Length
This implies that napping must not be long enough to disrupt your nighttime sleep, and ideally are not recommended after about 3pm (contingent on the time you retire at night). How long is sensible? Guidelines are mixed. Among the most-cited studies regarding daytime sleep, experts found that astronauts showed a boost of up to 54% in attentiveness plus a 34% rise in cognitive performance following a nap of 26 minutes (to be precise, this included a six-minute long falling asleep phase). “I’d suggest setting a timer for 20-30 minutes – most people fall asleep in under ten minutes,” notes a specialist. “There is plenty of advice around concerning the perfect length for sleeping, yet that often cause people to feel more worried than anything – and the most counterproductive thing you can possibly do when attempting to nod off is to stress over it.”
If you plan to sleep for longer, avoid the period between 45 and 60 minutes that encourages that sluggish feeling, that spaced-out feeling upon waking. “Research would say it's more effective to opt for a lengthier snooze of 60 to 90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” explains the sleep scientist. “Three-quarters of an hour is sufficient to put you into deep sleep making it more likely to feel disoriented upon awakening – however, if you take it a bit longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you will probably to be completing of a sleep cycle and should get up feeling more rejuvenated. Though if you nap for a long period, it will affect your sleep that night.”
Finding the Perfect Sleep Space
Regarding precise methods, suggestions are diverse. A few professionals propose using the same protocol one would use to promote quality nighttime sleep: a quiet room, a supportive surface and maximum darkness as you can manage. Alternatively, experts propose that you should simply nap on the sofa in whatever light happens to be around – to avoid post-nap grogginess and to “protect” your sleeping quarters as the environment you associate with nighttime rest. “Napping is notoriously difficult to command,” says an expert. “Lacking any sleepiness, it is tougher to lie down and basically tell yourself to go to sleep. There must be some sleep pressure available to bring the sleep on in the first place. Personally, I can often take a nap in full light and awaken on my own without a timer, but what helps many individuals is to wait for an instance that they’re naturally slightly tired and then simply relax into it.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and should options are scarce – for instance, if attempting to fit in some shut-eye during a commute or at the office – it is perfectly fine with bringing a few tools. “In my work with footballers, I suggest that they not rely on their own bed for naps, since they’re going to have|they will
