Listen to enough self-improvement gurus, making it tempting to believe that dozing is a powerful tool: more than a band-aid after a bad night’s sleep, but a path towards a better memory, a brighter outlook and possibly improved athletic performance. Professional soccer players are all at it – along with professional piano players, UFC champions & business leaders. But if you lack a dedicated nap-room or employment that encourages daytime sleep, is it *truly* worthwhile perks to a burst of shut-eye to merit the effort? Can you find a reliable way to get to sleep quickly enough? Plus, is it possible to truly ensure you will get up feeling improved, rather than worse?
Identifying Your Nap Motivation
“Experts note three key drivers for napping in the adult population,” explains a professor of sleep science researcher. “The first is known as make-up sleep, which is what happens following a lack of sleep overnight. Another is prophylactic napping, where you are preparing for insufficient sleep in the future, such as during on night shifts. Finally, there's “appetitive drive”, which essentially boils down to wanting: you have a moment to doze in the daytime, and it's pleasant to nap.”
The first thing to consider, therefore, is to think about your reason for napping. “Daytime sleep can be really helpful when night sleeping is disturbed due to causes outside your control – for example, when you are 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 night sleep feels fragile or poor, that’s often a sign your body's sleep pressure is not where required. Under those circumstances, daytime sleep can turn into a contributing factor, rather than the answer. Use napping for brief periods for short-term problems – the focus should still be a solid and consistent sleep at night.”
The Perfect Snooze Time
Therefore that napping shouldn’t be too extended to affect your sleep at night, and ideally should not occur in the late afternoon (based on the time you retire at night). How long is sensible? Recommendations vary. From the most referenced research regarding daytime sleep, experts noted that crew members had improvements of over 50% in vigilance and a 34% boost in task performance following a nap of 26 minutes (in detail, this included a six-minute long sleep onset time). “I’d suggest using an alarm for 20-30 minutes – most people doze off in under ten minutes,” explains a sleep coach. “There is plenty of recommendations regarding the ideal number of time, yet that often lead individuals to become more anxious than anything – and the worst thing you can possibly do while aiming to get to sleep is to stress over it.”
Should you decide to take an extended nap, avoid the period between 45 and 60 minutes that induces sleep inertia, that disoriented sensation when you awaken. “Studies indicates it's more effective to have an extended nap of 60 to 90 minutes than a medium-length one,” explains the professor. “45 minutes is long enough to put you into deep sleep and it is more probable to feel groggy when you wake up – while if you take it slightly longer to a full sleep cycle, you’re likely to be completing a natural sleep cycle and should get up feeling more rejuvenated. Though if you're dozing for 90 minutes, it can influence your sleep in the evening.”
Finding the Right Sleep Space
Regarding exact methodologies, advice differs. Some experts suggest employing similar routines one would use to encourage a good night’s sleep: a quiet room, a comfortable bed and maximum darkness as is feasible. Some advise that you should simply nap on a couch in whatever light is present – both to discourage post-nap grogginess and to maintain your bedroom as the space you associate with proper sleep. “Napping is quite challenging to command,” notes a sleep coach. “If you don’t have the urge to sleep, it becomes harder to lie down and essentially command yourself to nod off. You need a natural inclination there to initiate sleep in the first place. For me, it's possible to take a nap during the day and wake up naturally without a timer, though, what aids a lot of people is to wait for an instance where they feel naturally somewhat sleepy and just gently ease into sleep.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and should options are scarce – such as, if attempting to squeeze in some shut-eye during a commute or in a work pod – there’s nothing wrong to employ some accessories. “Coaching footballers, I suggest that they not rely on sleeping in their bed, because they’re going to have|they will
