Listen to plenty of self-improvement experts, and it’s simple to believe that a nap is a powerful tool: more than a quick fix after poor sleep, but a shortcut to a better memory, better spirits and perhaps improved athletic performance. Elite soccer players are all at it – and so are professional piano players, UFC champions and media moguls. But if you don't have a room for napping or a career that allows frequent naps, can there *honestly* worthwhile perks to a short sleep for it to be worth the effort? Is there a reliable way to get to sleep quickly enough? Furthermore, can you really guarantee you’ll wake up feeling better, not worse?
Understanding The Drive to Snooze
“We can identify three primary motivations for napping among most adults,” explains a leading sleep science professor. “One is known as compensatory napping, that is the action you take after experiencing insufficient sleep overnight. The second is preparatory napping, which involves pre-empting a sleep deficit coming up, such as during overnight shifts. The third is called “appetitive drive”, which essentially comes down to wanting: there is an opportunity to sleep in the daytime, and it feels nice to nap.”
The initial step to undertake, therefore, is consider your nap motivation. “Napping can be genuinely useful when night sleeping gets interrupted because of factors outside your control – for instance, if you’re caring for an infant, or you’re recovering from illness or heavy physical exertion,” explains a sleep specialist. “However, if you’re napping as your night sleep feels fragile or poor, that can be a signal your body's sleep pressure is not as strong as it should be. Under those circumstances, naps can become part of the problem, instead of the fix. Use napping as a temporary measure for short-term problems – the priority ought to remain a robust and regular overnight rest.”
The Perfect Nap Length
Therefore that napping ought not to be sufficiently lengthy to disrupt your overnight rest, and best should not occur in the late afternoon (based on what time you retire in the evening). What's a reasonable length? Guidelines are mixed. In one of a prominent study on the subject, experts found that astronauts showed a boost of up to 54% in alertness and a 34% boost in task performance post a 26-minute snooze (in detail, this included a six-minute long falling asleep phase). “I recommend using an alarm for half an hour or less – the majority doze off quickly,” explains a specialist. “There’s a lot of advice around concerning the ideal number of minutes, but that tends to make people feel more stressed than anything – and the most counterproductive thing one can do while aiming to fall asleep is to stress over it.”
If you plan to sleep for longer, bypass the 45 to 60 minute range that encourages sleep inertia, that spaced-out feeling when you wake. “Studies would say it’s better to opt for a lengthier snooze of 60 to 90 minutes than a medium-length one,” explains the professor. “Three-quarters of an hour is enough time to put you into deep sleep and you’re more likely to feel disoriented when you get up – while if you take it slightly longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you’re likely to finish of a sleep cycle and should wake up feeling more rejuvenated. But if you're dozing for a long period, it can influence how you sleep in the evening.”
Establishing an Ideal Snooze Setting
Regarding specific techniques, suggestions are diverse. Some experts suggest employing comparable habits you use to promote quality nighttime sleep: a quiet room, a supportive surface and minimal light as possible. Others suggest that it's fine to just doze on the sofa in whatever light happens to be around – to prevent sleep inertia and to preserve your bedroom as the place your brain links with proper sleep. “Sleep is quite challenging to will,” says a specialist. “Without any drowsiness, it is more challenging to lie down and essentially instruct yourself to go to sleep. You need some sleep pressure available to start the process in the first place. I can usually nap in full light and awaken on my own without a timer, however, what assists many individuals is to look for an instance where they feel naturally somewhat sleepy and just gently allow sleep to come.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and if options are scarce – such as, if you’re trying to grab some shut-eye while traveling or in a soundproof office pod – it's acceptable with bringing some accessories. “When I’m working with elite athletes, I advise that they not rely on sleeping in their bed, as they’re going to have|they will
