Hear enough self-improvement podcasters, and you'll be tempting to believe that napping is a secret weapon: more than a sticking plaster following a bad night’s sleep, but a shortcut towards enhanced cognition, improved mood and possibly a faster 5k run time. Premier League soccer players swear by it – and so are musicians, mixed martial artists & high-profile executives. But if you lack a special sleep space or employment that allows regular snoozing, are there *really* enough benefits to a burst of shut-eye to merit the hassle? Can you find a dependable method to nod off promptly? And can you truly ensure you will get up feeling improved, not worse?
Understanding Your Nap Motivation
“Experts note three key drivers for taking a nap among most adults,” says an expert circadian rhythm researcher. “The first is known as compensatory napping, essentially what happens when you’ve had insufficient sleep overnight. The second is prophylactic napping, when you are pre-empting sleep loss in the future, such as during overnight shifts. Finally, there's “appetitive drive”, which simply comes down to desire: you have a moment to sleep during the day, and it's enjoyable to nap.”
The primary task to undertake, then, is to examine why you want to nap. “Napping can be genuinely useful when night sleeping gets interrupted for reasons beyond your control – for instance, for a new parent, or you’re recovering from illness or strenuous activity,” says a sleep expert. “Yet when you’re napping since your sleep at night seems unreliable or poor, that can be an indicator your body's sleep pressure is not at the level it should be. In such situations, napping can become a contributing factor, rather than the answer. Employ naps as a short-term solution for temporary issues – the main goal must always be a strong and predictable overnight rest.”
The Perfect Nap Duration
Therefore that daytime sleep ought not to be long enough to affect your nighttime sleep, and best shouldn’t take place after about 3pm (depending on when you go to bed at night). What duration is wise? Guidelines are mixed. Among the most-cited studies about napping, researchers at Nasa found that crew members showed a boost of up to 54% in alertness plus a 34% rise in task performance post a 26-minute snooze (in detail, this counted a six-minute sleep onset time). “I’d suggest setting an alarm for half an hour or less – the majority fall asleep in under ten minutes,” notes a specialist. “There’s a lot of guidance out there regarding the optimal amount of minutes, but that tends to lead individuals to become more stressed above all – and the worst thing you can possibly do while aiming to fall asleep is to be anxious.”
Should you decide to sleep for longer, steer clear of the 45-60 minute window that promotes that sluggish feeling, that spaced-out feeling when you awaken. “The science suggests it’s better to opt for a longer nap of 60 to 90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” explains the sleep scientist. “Three-quarters of an hour is enough time to send you into slow-wave sleep making it more likely to feel sluggish when you wake up – however, if you nap for a bit longer to a full sleep cycle, you’re likely to be completing a full cycle and are likely to awaken feeling more refreshed. Though if you nap for 90 minutes, it may impact your sleep in the evening.”
Creating the Perfect Nap Environment
Regarding specific techniques, advice differs. Some experts propose using similar routines you use to encourage a good night’s sleep: a silent space, a cozy bed and as much darkness as you can manage. Others suggest that it's fine to merely snooze in a chair in whatever light is available – both to discourage post-nap grogginess and to maintain your bed as the environment your brain links with nighttime rest. “Sleep is quite challenging to force,” explains a specialist. “If you don’t have any drowsiness, it is tougher to get comfortable and basically command yourself to fall asleep. There must be some sleep pressure available to bring the sleep on in the first place. For me, it's possible to take a nap in broad daylight and awaken on my own alarm-free, though, what aids most folks is to anticipate a time where they feel naturally somewhat sleepy and then simply allow sleep to come.”
It’s worth experimenting, and should you have few options – for instance, when aiming to squeeze in 40 winks during a commute or in a soundproof office pod – it's acceptable to use a few tools. “When I’m working with footballers, I advise that they not rely on their own bed for naps, as they’re going to have|they will
