Hear enough self-improvement podcasters, and you'll be simple to believe that napping is a powerful tool: rather than a quick fix following a bad night’s sleep, but a route towards improved recall, better spirits and possibly improved athletic performance. Professional soccer players do it regularly – as do professional piano players, UFC champions and business leaders. Yet, when you lack a dedicated nap-room or employment that encourages frequent naps, is it *truly* sufficient advantages to a short sleep to merit the effort? Is there a dependable method to fall asleep fast? Furthermore, can you truly ensure you will get up feeling better, rather than worse?
Identifying Your Reasons for Napping
“Experts note three primary motivations for napping among most adults,” notes a professor of sleep and circadian science specialist. “One is known as make-up sleep, essentially the action you take following a lack of sleep the previous night. Another is prophylactic napping, when you are anticipating sleep loss in the future, for instance during graveyard shifts. The third is called “hedonic napping”, which basically boils down to the wish: you get a moment to nap in the afternoon, and it feels nice to do it.”
The initial step to undertake, therefore, is to examine your nap motivation. “Napping can be genuinely useful when nighttime sleep is being disrupted due to causes outside your control – for example, for a parent of a newborn, or you’re recovering after being ill or intense exercise,” states a sleep specialist. “However, if you nap since your nighttime sleep feels fragile or broken, that’s often an indicator your sleep drive is not where it needs to be. In such situations, daytime sleep can turn into part of the problem, instead of the fix. Utilize daytime sleep as a short-term solution to address immediate needs – the main goal ought to remain a strong and predictable sleep at night.”
The Optimal Nap Duration
This implies that daytime sleep must not be too extended to disrupt your overnight rest, and ideally shouldn’t take place post-3 p.m. (based on when you retire at night). What duration is wise? Guidelines are mixed. From a prominent study on the subject, researchers at Nasa noted that crew members experienced a boost of up to 54% in attentiveness and a 34% increase in performance after a 26-minute nap (to be precise, this counted a six-minute nodding-off period). “I recommend using an alarm for 20-30 minutes – the majority fall asleep quickly,” notes a sleep coach. “There is plenty of advice around concerning the perfect length of minutes, however, that can lead individuals to become more worried than anything else – and the most counterproductive thing you can possibly do when attempting to nod off is worry about it.”
If you’re going to nap for a longer period, bypass the 45 to 60 minute range that encourages sleep grogginess, that foggy state when you wake. “Studies would say it's more effective to opt for a lengthier snooze of one to one and a half hours compared to a medium-length nap,” explains the sleep scientist. “Forty-five minutes is enough time to put you into slow-wave sleep making it more likely to feel groggy when you wake up – however, if you take it a little longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you will probably to finish a full cycle and should wake up feeling more rejuvenated. However, if you nap for an hour and a half, it can influence your sleep later that night.”
Creating the Perfect Nap Environment
As for precise methods, advice differs. A few professionals recommend employing the same protocol you use to promote quality nighttime sleep: a silent space, a comfortable bed and as much darkness as possible. Alternatively, experts propose that one could simply nap in a chair in whatever light happens to be around – both to discourage sleep inertia and to preserve your sleeping quarters as the environment your mind associates with *real* sleep. “Falling asleep is quite challenging to force,” notes a specialist. “If you don’t have any sleepiness, it is tougher to recline and practically tell yourself to fall asleep. There must be a natural inclination available to bring the sleep on initially. I can usually nap in broad daylight and awaken on my own without a timer, though, what aids most folks is to anticipate a time where they feel naturally somewhat sleepy and calmly relax into it.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and if your choices are limited – for example, if you’re trying to fit in 40 winks during a commute or at the office – it's acceptable with bringing some accessories. “Coaching professional sportspeople, I advise that they avoid becoming accustomed to sleeping in their bed, because they’re going to have|they will
