Listen to a few self-improvement gurus, and you'll be simple to believe that napping is a secret weapon: rather than a sticking plaster after a bad night’s sleep, but a route to a better memory, better spirits and maybe quicker running times. Professional athletes swear by it – as do musicians, mixed martial artists and business leaders. Yet, when you lack a special sleep space or a job that allows frequent naps, can there *honestly* worthwhile perks to a burst of shut-eye for it to be worth the effort? Does there exist a surefire technique to fall asleep fast? Furthermore, can you really guarantee you’ll wake up feeling refreshed, not worse?
Exploring The Reasons for Napping
“There are three key drivers for daytime sleep in the adult population,” says an expert sleep science professor. “One is what we call make-up sleep, essentially what happens when you’ve had a lack of sleep overnight. Another is pre-emptive sleep, when you are pre-empting sleep loss ahead, such as during graveyard shifts. The third reason is “appetitive drive”, which simply is about wanting: there is an opportunity to doze in the afternoon, and it's pleasant to do it.”
The primary task to do, then, is to examine your nap motivation. “Napping can be genuinely useful when night sleeping is being disrupted because of factors outside your control – for example, when you are caring for an infant, or you’re recovering after being ill or strenuous activity,” says a sleep physiologist. “However, if you nap since your sleep at night is unstable or unreliable, that’s often a sign your need for sleep is not as strong as it should be. Under those circumstances, napping can become part of the problem, instead of the fix. Utilize daytime sleep for brief periods for temporary issues – the focus must always be a solid and consistent overnight rest.”
The Optimal Nap Length
This means that napping ought not to be sufficiently lengthy to interfere with your nighttime sleep, and preferably shouldn’t take place in the late afternoon (contingent on what time you sleep overnight). What's a reasonable length? Guidelines are mixed. From a prominent study on the subject, experts discovered that astronauts showed a boost of up to 54% in vigilance and a 34% increase in performance following a nap of 26 minutes (technically, this included a six-minute long sleep onset time). “I’d suggest setting an alarm for half an hour or less – the majority are asleep quickly,” notes a sleep coach. “You'll find much advice around regarding the optimal amount of time, however, that can make people feel more anxious than anything else – and the least helpful action one can do when attempting to get to sleep is to be anxious.”
If you plan to nap for a longer period, avoid the period between 45 and 60 minutes that promotes sleep grogginess, that spaced-out feeling upon waking. “Research indicates it is preferable to take a lengthier snooze of 60 to 90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” says the professor. “45 minutes is sufficient to put you into slow-wave sleep making it more likely to feel groggy when you get up – while if you nap for a little longer to a full sleep cycle, you will probably to finish of a sleep cycle and will probably get up feeling more refreshed. But if you nap for an hour and a half, it will affect the quality of your sleep that night.”
Finding the Right Sleep Space
As for specific techniques, recommendations vary. Some experts recommend employing the same protocol you use to promote restful sleep: a silent space, a cozy bed and maximum darkness as you can manage. Alternatively, experts propose that one could simply nap on the sofa in whatever light is available – to prevent that groggy feeling and to maintain your bedroom as the environment you associate with *real* sleep. “Falling asleep is notoriously difficult to will,” explains an expert. “If you don’t have any sleepiness, it becomes harder to recline and practically instruct yourself to nod off. There’s got to be some drive available to start the process in the first place. I can usually nap in full light and naturally wake up without an alarm, but what helps a lot of people is to anticipate a moment that they’re naturally feeling a bit drowsy and then simply relax into it.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and if options are scarce – for instance, if attempting to squeeze in 40 winks during a commute or at the office – it is perfectly fine to employ a few tools. “Coaching elite athletes, I suggest that they not rely on sleeping in their bed, since they’re going to have|they will
