Tune into enough self-improvement experts, making it simple to think that dozing is a powerful tool: rather than a quick fix following a bad night’s sleep, but a route towards a better memory, improved mood and possibly improved athletic performance. Professional footballers do it regularly – as do professional piano players, mixed martial artists & business leaders. However, if you haven’t got a room for napping or a career that encourages daytime sleep, is it *truly* sufficient advantages to a burst of shut-eye to justify the hassle? Can you find a surefire technique to nod off promptly? Plus, is it possible to truly ensure you’ll wake up feeling better, rather than worse?
Exploring Your Nap Motivation
“We can identify three primary motivations for napping in the adult population,” notes an expert circadian rhythm researcher. “Firstly, there's termed recovery napping, essentially what you do after experiencing poor sleep the previous night. Another is prophylactic napping, where you are pre-empting a sleep deficit in the future, such as during on night shifts. Finally, there's “hedonic napping”, which basically comes down to desire: there is a moment to doze in the daytime, and it feels nice to indulge.”
The first thing to undertake, therefore, is consider why you want to nap. “Daytime sleep can be genuinely useful when overnight rest is disturbed because of factors outside your control – such as, for a parent of a newborn, or you’re recovering from illness or intense exercise,” states a sleep physiologist. “However, if you nap as your nighttime sleep feels fragile or broken, that is frequently a sign your sleep drive is not where it should be. In such situations, daytime sleep can turn into part of the problem, not the solution. Use napping for brief periods to address immediate needs – the focus ought to remain a strong and predictable sleep at night.”
The Optimal Snooze Time
Therefore that naps shouldn’t be long enough to disrupt your overnight rest, and best should not occur post-3 p.m. (depending on what time you retire at night). What duration is wise? Advice differs. From the most-cited studies on the subject, space agency scientists noted that crew members had up to a 54% increase in alertness plus a 34% rise in performance following a nap of 26 minutes (in detail, this included an initial six-minute sleep onset time). “My advice is setting a timer for half an hour or less – many individuals are asleep in under ten minutes,” says a sleep expert. “There is plenty of guidance out there concerning the optimal amount for sleeping, but that tends to make people feel more stressed than anything – and the worst thing you can do while aiming to fall asleep is worry about it.”
Should you decide to sleep for longer, avoid the 45-60 minute window that induces sleep inertia, that foggy state upon waking. “Research indicates it’s better to have a lengthier snooze lasting 60-90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” notes the expert. “Forty-five minutes is enough time to put you into a deep sleep stage and it is more probable to feel groggy when you wake up – whereas if you extend it slightly longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you’re likely to finish a natural sleep cycle and will probably wake up feeling more rejuvenated. But if you're dozing for a long period, it can influence the quality of your sleep in the evening.”
Establishing the Right Nap Environment
When it comes to precise methods, advice differs. Some experts suggest adopting comparable habits you’d use to foster restful sleep: a peaceful area, a cozy bed and maximum darkness as you can manage. Alternatively, experts propose that you should simply nap on a couch with ambient lighting is present – to prevent that groggy feeling and to preserve your sleeping quarters as the place your mind associates with proper sleep. “Napping is quite challenging to force,” notes a sleep coach. “Without the urge to sleep, it becomes harder to lie down and basically tell yourself to go to sleep. There must be some sleep pressure there to bring the sleep on to begin with. Personally, I can often nap in full light and naturally wake up without an alarm, however, what assists most folks is to anticipate a moment where they feel naturally somewhat sleepy and then simply allow sleep to come.”
It’s worth experimenting, and should your choices are limited – such as, if attempting to fit in some shut-eye on a train or in a work pod – it's acceptable to employ sleep aids. “When I’m working with professional sportspeople, I advise that they not rely on napping in bed, because they’re going to have|they will
