Tune into enough performance experts, and you'll be easy to think that dozing is a powerful tool: not just a band-aid after restless night, but a path towards a better memory, better spirits and maybe improved athletic performance. Premier League athletes are all at it – as do concert pianists, fighters and high-profile executives. However, if you don't have a room for napping or a career that allows regular snoozing, are there *really* worthwhile perks to a quick nap for it to be worth the hassle? Is there a surefire technique to nod off promptly? And can you really guarantee you’ll wake up feeling better, rather than worse?
Understanding Your Drive to Snooze
“There are three primary motivations for daytime sleep among most adults,” notes a leading circadian rhythm researcher. “Firstly, there's what we call make-up sleep, essentially what you do following a lack of sleep overnight. Another is preparatory napping, when you are preparing for sleep loss in the future, such as when working on night shifts. Finally, there's “hedonic napping”, which simply is about the wish: you get an opportunity to sleep in the daytime, and it's pleasant to nap.”
The primary task to consider, then, is consider why you want to nap. “Daytime sleep can be really helpful when night sleeping is disturbed due to causes beyond your control – such as, for caring for an infant, or recovering from illness or strenuous activity,” states a sleep specialist. “However, if you’re napping as your sleep at night is unstable or broken, that’s often a signal your need for sleep is not at the level it should be. Under those circumstances, napping can become part of the issue, rather than the answer. Utilize daytime sleep as a temporary measure to address immediate needs – the focus must always be a strong and predictable sleep at night.”
The Ideal Nap Length
Therefore that napping shouldn’t be too extended to interfere with your overnight rest, and best are not recommended after about 3pm (depending on the time you sleep in the evening). What duration is wise? Advice differs. In one of a prominent study regarding daytime sleep, space agency scientists discovered that astronauts had a boost of up to 54% in attentiveness plus a 34% rise in cognitive performance post a 26-minute snooze (in detail, this involved a six-minute long nodding-off period). “I recommend setting a timer for half an hour or less – many individuals fall asleep in under ten minutes,” explains a specialist. “There’s a lot of advice around regarding the ideal number of minutes, yet that often lead individuals to become more anxious than anything else – and the least helpful action one can do when attempting to fall asleep is to be anxious.”
If you plan to take an extended nap, steer clear of the 45 to 60 minute range that promotes that sluggish feeling, that spaced-out feeling when you awaken. “The science indicates it's more effective to take an extended nap of one to one and a half hours rather than a mid-length nap,” explains the professor. “Forty-five minutes is enough time to plunge you into a deep sleep stage making it more likely to feel groggy when you wake up – however, if you extend it a bit longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you will probably to finish a natural sleep cycle and are likely to awaken feeling more rejuvenated. Though if you’re sleeping for a long period, it may impact the quality of your sleep that night.”
Establishing the Perfect Sleep Space
Regarding precise methods, suggestions are diverse. Certain specialists propose employing comparable habits you use to promote quality nighttime sleep: a peaceful area, a supportive surface and minimal light as possible. Others suggest that you should merely snooze on a couch in the existing light is available – to avoid that groggy feeling and to “protect” your bedroom as the place your mind associates with nighttime rest. “Falling asleep is something really tricky to force,” explains an expert. “Without the urge to sleep, it is more challenging to lie down and basically command yourself to fall asleep. There’s got to be some drive available to bring the sleep on in the first place. For me, it's possible to nap in full light and wake up naturally without a timer, but what helps a lot of people is to anticipate an instance when they are naturally slightly tired and then simply allow sleep to come.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and should you have few options – for instance, if you’re trying to squeeze in some shut-eye while traveling or at the office – it is perfectly fine to use sleep aids. “Coaching professional sportspeople, I advise that they don’t get used to napping in bed, as they’re going to have|they will
