Hear a few productivity podcasters, and it’s tempting to believe that napping is a secret weapon: more than a quick fix following a bad night’s sleep, but a route to a better memory, improved mood and perhaps quicker running times. Professional athletes do it regularly – as do concert pianists, mixed martial artists and media moguls. However, if you lack a dedicated nap-room or a career that encourages frequent naps, are there *really* sufficient advantages to a quick nap to justify the hassle? Is there a dependable method to nod off promptly? Plus, is it possible to really guarantee you’ll wake up feeling improved, instead of groggy?
Exploring The Nap Motivation
“We can identify three primary motivations for napping for many people,” notes a professor of circadian rhythm professor. “Firstly, there's termed recovery napping, which is what happens following a lack of sleep the night before. Secondly, there's preparatory napping, where you are anticipating sleep loss coming up, for instance when working on night shifts. Finally, there's “pleasure-based sleep”, which essentially is about the wish: you have a chance to doze in the daytime, and it's pleasant to do it.”
The initial step to do, therefore, is to examine your nap motivation. “Daytime sleep can be really helpful when night sleeping is being disrupted for reasons outside your control – for instance, for a new parent, or recovering from illness or strenuous activity,” says a sleep specialist. “However, if you nap as your nighttime sleep feels fragile or poor, that’s often a sign your need for sleep is not at the level required. Under those circumstances, napping can become part of the issue, instead of the fix. Use napping as a short-term solution for short-term problems – the focus should still be a strong and predictable sleep at night.”
The Ideal Nap Length
Therefore that napping shouldn’t be too extended to affect your nighttime sleep, and preferably shouldn’t take place after about 3pm (depending on when you sleep in the evening). What's a reasonable length? Guidelines are mixed. From a prominent study about napping, space agency scientists noted that astronauts showed a boost of up to 54% in alertness and a 34% boost in performance after a 26-minute nap (technically, this counted an initial six-minute falling asleep phase). “My advice is setting a timer for 20 to 30 minutes – most people fall asleep within 10 minutes,” explains a sleep expert. “You'll find much guidance out there regarding the ideal number for sleeping, however, that can cause people to feel more stressed above all – and the most counterproductive thing one can do when attempting to nod off is worry about it.”
If you plan to take an extended nap, steer clear of the 45 to 60 minute range that promotes sleep inertia, that spaced-out feeling when you wake. “Studies indicates it's more effective to take a longer nap of one to one and a half hours compared to a medium-length nap,” says the professor. “Forty-five minutes is long enough to plunge you into deep sleep and you’re more likely to feel disoriented upon awakening – while if you extend it a bit longer to a full sleep cycle, you’re likely to be on the end of a sleep cycle and should wake up feeling more alert. Though if you’re sleeping for an hour and a half, it may impact your sleep later that night.”
Finding the Perfect Snooze Setting
As for exact methodologies, recommendations vary. Some experts propose employing the same protocol you’d use to promote a good night’s sleep: a quiet room, a comfortable bed and maximum darkness as you can manage. Others suggest that one could merely snooze on a couch in whatever light happens to be around – to prevent post-nap grogginess and to maintain your bedroom as the environment you associate with nighttime rest. “Napping is something really tricky to force,” explains a specialist. “Lacking any sleepiness, it becomes harder to recline and practically command yourself to fall asleep. There’s got to be a natural inclination available to bring the sleep on to begin with. I can usually snooze in broad daylight and naturally wake up alarm-free, however, what assists a lot of people is to anticipate a moment where they feel naturally feeling a bit drowsy and then simply ease into sleep.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and if options are scarce – for example, if attempting to squeeze in a quick nap on a train or at the office – there’s nothing wrong with bringing a few tools. “Coaching footballers, I recommend that they don’t get used to sleeping in their bed, since they’re going to have|they will
