Hear enough performance podcasters, and you'll be tempting to think that a nap is a superpower: rather than a quick fix following a bad night’s sleep, but a path towards enhanced cognition, better spirits and maybe improved athletic performance. Professional soccer players do it regularly – as do musicians, fighters and media moguls. Yet, when you don't have a room for napping or a job that permits daytime sleep, is it *truly* worthwhile perks to a burst of shut-eye for it to be worth the hassle? Can you find a surefire technique to get to sleep quickly enough? Furthermore, can you honestly promise you will get up feeling improved, rather than worse?
Identifying Your Nap Motivation
“We can identify three primary motivations for napping in the adult population,” says an expert circadian rhythm researcher. “Firstly, there's what we call make-up sleep, that is what happens following insufficient sleep the night before. Secondly, there's prophylactic napping, where you are pre-empting insufficient sleep coming up, for instance when working overnight shifts. Finally, there's “pleasure-based sleep”, which basically comes down to desire: there is a chance to sleep during the day, and it's enjoyable to indulge.”
The first thing to consider, so, is to think about why you want to nap. “Napping can be genuinely useful when nighttime sleep is disturbed due to causes beyond your control – such as, if you’re a parent of a newborn, or recovering from illness or heavy physical exertion,” explains a sleep expert. “Yet when you take a nap as your night sleep feels fragile or poor, that is frequently a sign your need for sleep is not at the level 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 focus ought to remain a robust and regular sleep at night.”
The Ideal Nap Length
Therefore that napping shouldn’t be too extended to affect your nighttime sleep, and best are not recommended post-3 p.m. (depending on what time you go to bed in the evening). What duration is wise? Guidelines are mixed. In one of the most-cited studies on the subject, space agency scientists noted that space travelers showed a boost of up to 54% in attentiveness and a 34% boost in cognitive performance following a nap of 26 minutes (in detail, this included a six-minute sleep onset time). “I recommend setting an alarm for 20-30 minutes – many individuals fall asleep in under ten minutes,” notes a sleep expert. “There is plenty of advice around regarding the ideal number of time, however, that can cause people to feel more worried than anything – and the most counterproductive thing you can do while aiming to fall asleep is to stress over it.”
Should you decide to nap for a longer period, bypass the period between 45 and 60 minutes that induces that sluggish feeling, that spaced-out feeling when you wake. “Research would say it's more effective to have a lengthier snooze lasting 60-90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” explains the expert. “Three-quarters of an hour is long enough to plunge you into a deep sleep stage making it more likely to feel sluggish when you get up – however, if you nap for a little longer to a full sleep cycle, you’re likely to finish a full cycle and will probably wake up feeling more refreshed. However, if you’re sleeping for a long period, it may impact how you sleep that night.”
Creating the Right Sleep Space
When it comes to specific techniques, advice differs. A few professionals propose using the same protocol one would use to encourage restful sleep: a peaceful area, a supportive surface and maximum darkness as possible. Others suggest that you should simply nap on the sofa in whatever light is present – to prevent sleep inertia and to “protect” your bedroom as the place your brain links with *real* sleep. “Falling asleep is something really tricky to command,” says a specialist. “Without any drowsiness, it is tougher to get comfortable and basically instruct yourself to go to sleep. There must be a natural inclination there to bring the sleep on in the first place. Personally, I can often snooze in broad daylight and awaken on my own without a timer, but what helps many individuals is to wait for a moment that they’re naturally slightly tired and then simply allow sleep to come.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and if your choices are limited – for instance, when aiming to fit in a quick nap on a train or at the office – it is perfectly fine to use sleep aids. “In my work with elite athletes, I recommend that they not rely on napping in bed, as they’re going to have|they will
