Listen to plenty of performance experts, and it’s simple to believe that dozing is a secret weapon: rather than a quick fix after a bad night’s sleep, but a path to improved recall, improved mood and perhaps a faster 5k run time. Elite footballers do it regularly – along with concert pianists, UFC champions & business leaders. However, if you haven’t got a special sleep space or a job that encourages regular snoozing, is it *truly* worthwhile perks to a quick nap to merit the hassle? Is there a reliable way to nod off promptly? Plus, is it possible to really guarantee you’ll wake up feeling improved, instead of groggy?
Exploring The Nap Motivation
“Experts note three primary motivations for napping among most adults,” says an expert circadian rhythm professor. “The first is what we call recovery napping, which is what happens when you’ve had poor sleep the night before. Secondly, there's pre-emptive sleep, when you are pre-empting sleep loss ahead, for example during overnight shifts. The third is called “pleasure-based sleep”, which basically boils down to the wish: you have a moment to nap in the daytime, and it's enjoyable to nap.”
The first thing to undertake, therefore, is to think about your reason for napping. “Naps can be truly beneficial when night sleeping is disturbed because of factors you cannot change – for example, when you are a parent of a newborn, or if you are healing from illness or strenuous activity,” explains a sleep physiologist. “However, if you’re napping since your nighttime sleep seems unreliable or broken, that’s often a signal your body's sleep pressure is not where it needs to be. In such situations, daytime sleep can turn into part of the problem, not the solution. Utilize daytime sleep as a temporary measure to address immediate needs – the priority ought to remain a strong and predictable night’s sleep.”
The Optimal Nap Length
Therefore that naps must not be long enough to interfere with your sleep at night, and preferably are not recommended post-3 p.m. (contingent on what time you go to bed overnight). How long is sensible? Recommendations vary. From the most referenced research regarding daytime sleep, experts found that space travelers experienced improvements of over 50% in vigilance and a 34% boost in cognitive performance following a nap of 26 minutes (technically, this involved a six-minute long nodding-off period). “My advice is setting a timer for 20-30 minutes – many individuals doze off in under ten minutes,” notes a sleep expert. “You'll find much guidance out there concerning the optimal amount of time, however, that can cause people to feel more stressed than anything – and the worst thing you can possibly do while aiming to get to sleep is to be anxious.”
If you’re going to sleep for longer, steer clear of the period between 45 and 60 minutes that encourages sleep inertia, that foggy state upon waking. “Studies suggests it is preferable to take an extended nap lasting 60-90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” notes the sleep scientist. “Three-quarters of an hour is long enough to plunge you into a deep sleep stage and it is more probable to feel groggy when you get up – whereas if you nap for a bit longer to a full sleep cycle, you’re likely to be completing a full cycle and will probably wake up feeling more rejuvenated. However, if you're dozing for a long period, it may impact the quality of your sleep later that night.”
Finding the Perfect Nap Environment
As for exact methodologies, recommendations vary. A few professionals suggest using the same protocol you use to foster restful sleep: a silent space, a comfortable bed and minimal light as possible. Alternatively, experts propose that one could merely snooze in a chair with ambient lighting happens to be around – both to discourage sleep inertia and to maintain your bed as the place you associate with nighttime rest. “Napping is notoriously difficult to command,” explains a specialist. “Lacking any sleepiness, it becomes harder to recline and practically instruct yourself to go to sleep. There’s got to be a natural inclination present to initiate sleep to begin with. For me, it's possible to take a nap during the day and awaken on my own without a timer, but what helps many individuals is to look for a moment that they’re naturally feeling a bit drowsy and then simply allow sleep to come.”
It’s worth experimenting, and if you have few options – for instance, when aiming to squeeze in some shut-eye while traveling or at the office – it's acceptable to use sleep aids. “Coaching elite athletes, I recommend that they avoid becoming accustomed to their own bed for naps, because they’re going to have|they will
