Listen to a few self-improvement gurus, and you'll be easy to think that dozing is a secret weapon: not just a band-aid after poor sleep, but a path towards a better memory, better spirits and perhaps quicker running times. Elite athletes swear by it – as do musicians, mixed martial artists and high-profile executives. However, if you haven’t got a special sleep space or a career that permits frequent naps, is it *truly* enough benefits to a burst of shut-eye for it to be worth the kerfuffle? Does there exist a reliable way to get to sleep quickly enough? And can you really guarantee you will get up feeling better, rather than worse?
Understanding Your Reasons for Napping
“Experts note three primary motivations for napping for many people,” notes an expert sleep and circadian science researcher. “One is termed compensatory napping, that is what happens after experiencing poor sleep the previous night. Another is preparatory napping, which involves preparing for sleep loss in the future, for example during overnight shifts. The third reason is “appetitive drive”, which essentially boils down to desire: there is a moment to doze during the day, and it's pleasant to indulge.”
The first thing to consider, so, is to examine why you want to nap. “Daytime sleep can be truly beneficial when night sleeping is being disrupted due to causes outside your control – for instance, when you are caring for an infant, or you’re recovering from illness or heavy physical exertion,” explains a sleep specialist. “Yet when you nap since your night sleep feels fragile or unreliable, that can be an indicator your need for sleep is not as strong as it should be. Under those circumstances, napping can become part of the issue, instead of the fix. Employ naps as a short-term solution for temporary issues – the focus ought to remain a strong and predictable night’s sleep.”
The Optimal Snooze Time
This implies that naps ought not to be too extended to interfere with your sleep at night, and ideally should not occur after about 3pm (contingent on when you sleep overnight). What duration is wise? Recommendations vary. From the most referenced research regarding daytime sleep, experts discovered that astronauts showed improvements of over 50% in vigilance and a 34% boost in cognitive performance after a 26-minute nap (in detail, this involved an initial six-minute sleep onset time). “My advice is setting an alarm for 20-30 minutes – the majority are asleep within 10 minutes,” explains a sleep coach. “There’s a lot of advice around concerning the optimal amount of time, but that tends to cause people to feel more worried than anything else – and the least helpful action you can do when attempting to nod off is to be anxious.”
If you’re going to sleep for longer, avoid the 45-60 minute window that promotes that sluggish feeling, that disoriented sensation upon waking. “Research would say it's more effective to take a longer nap lasting 60-90 minutes than a medium-length one,” notes the professor. “Three-quarters of an hour is long enough to put you into a deep sleep stage and it is more probable to feel groggy when you get up – while if you take it slightly longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you will probably to be on the end a full cycle and are likely to awaken feeling more rejuvenated. However, if you're dozing for a long period, it will affect your sleep in the evening.”
Creating the Right Sleep Space
As for exact methodologies, advice differs. Some experts recommend adopting similar routines you use to foster quality nighttime sleep: a quiet room, a cozy bed and maximum darkness as you can manage. Alternatively, experts propose that it's fine to just doze on a couch in whatever light happens to be around – both to discourage post-nap grogginess and to maintain your bedroom as the place your brain links with nighttime rest. “Napping is notoriously difficult to command,” says a sleep coach. “Without any sleepiness, it becomes harder to lie down and basically command yourself to nod off. There’s got to be a natural inclination available to bring the sleep on to begin with. Personally, I can often nap during the day and wake up naturally without an alarm, but what helps most folks is to anticipate a time that they’re naturally somewhat sleepy and then simply allow sleep to come.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and when you have few options – for instance, if you’re trying to grab 40 winks while traveling or at the office – there’s nothing wrong to use sleep aids. “When I’m working with footballers, I recommend that they don’t get used to napping in bed, because they’re going to have|they will
