Hear enough self-improvement gurus, making it tempting to convince yourself that dozing is a powerful tool: rather than a band-aid following a bad night’s sleep, but a shortcut to enhanced cognition, improved mood and perhaps improved athletic performance. Premier League soccer players swear by it – and so are concert pianists, fighters & high-profile executives. But if you don't have a dedicated nap-room or employment that permits frequent naps, is it *truly* worthwhile perks to a burst of shut-eye to justify the kerfuffle? Can you find a surefire technique to fall asleep fast? Plus, is it possible to really guarantee you will arise feeling improved, instead of groggy?
Identifying Your Drive to Snooze
“There are three primary motivations for daytime sleep among most adults,” notes a professor of circadian rhythm specialist. “The first is what we call make-up sleep, essentially what happens following insufficient sleep the night before. Secondly, there's pre-emptive sleep, when you are preparing for a sleep deficit ahead, for instance if you’re working graveyard shifts. Finally, there's “pleasure-based sleep”, which simply comes down to desire: you get a moment to nap during the day, and it's enjoyable to do it.”
The initial step to do, so, is to examine your nap motivation. “Naps can be genuinely useful when nighttime sleep is disturbed due to causes you cannot change – for instance, for a new parent, or you’re recovering from illness or strenuous activity,” states a sleep specialist. “However, if you take a nap because your nighttime sleep is unstable or poor, that can be a signal your need for sleep is not where it needs to be. Under those circumstances, daytime sleep can turn into a contributing factor, rather than the answer. Utilize daytime sleep as a short-term solution for short-term problems – the priority must always be a strong and predictable overnight rest.”
The Perfect Nap Duration
This means that napping must not be long enough to affect your nighttime sleep, and preferably should not occur post-3 p.m. (contingent on when you retire overnight). What's a reasonable length? Recommendations vary. Among the most-cited studies regarding daytime sleep, space agency scientists noted that astronauts had improvements of over 50% in alertness plus a 34% rise in task performance after a 26-minute nap (in detail, this counted a six-minute long falling asleep phase). “My advice is using an alarm for 20-30 minutes – most people are asleep within 10 minutes,” explains a sleep coach. “There’s a lot of guidance out there concerning the perfect length of time, but that tends to make people feel more worried than anything else – and the most counterproductive thing you can do while aiming to get to sleep is worry about it.”
Should you decide to take an extended nap, avoid the 45 to 60 minute range that promotes sleep inertia, that foggy state when you wake. “Research indicates it is preferable to opt for a lengthier snooze of 60 to 90 minutes than a medium-length one,” explains the professor. “45 minutes is long enough to send you into slow-wave sleep and it is more probable to feel sluggish upon awakening – whereas if you extend it slightly longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you’re likely to finish a natural sleep cycle and are likely to awaken feeling more refreshed. However, if you nap for 90 minutes, it may impact the quality of your sleep later that night.”
Creating an Ideal Sleep Space
Regarding exact methodologies, recommendations vary. Some experts recommend employing the same protocol you use to foster a good night’s sleep: a silent space, a supportive surface and as much darkness as is feasible. Some advise that you should merely snooze on a couch in the existing light happens to be around – to avoid post-nap grogginess and to preserve your bed as the environment your mind associates with *real* sleep. “Falling asleep is something really tricky to command,” explains a specialist. “Lacking any sleepiness, it is tougher to lie down and essentially command yourself to nod off. There must be some sleep pressure there to start the process in the first place. I can usually snooze in full light and wake up naturally without a timer, though, what aids a lot of people is to look for a moment that they’re naturally slightly tired and calmly relax into it.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and if you have few options – such as, when aiming to fit in a quick nap while traveling or in a soundproof office pod – there’s nothing wrong with bringing sleep aids. “Coaching footballers, I suggest that they don’t get used to sleeping in their bed, as they’re going to have|they will
