Listen to enough self-improvement gurus, and it’s easy to think that dozing is a superpower: more than a quick fix following poor sleep, but a route to a better memory, improved mood and maybe improved athletic performance. Professional athletes swear by it – and so are musicians, mixed martial artists and business leaders. However, if you lack a dedicated nap-room or employment that permits daytime sleep, is it *truly* worthwhile perks to a short sleep for it to be worth the hassle? Can you find a reliable way to fall asleep fast? Plus, is it possible to really guarantee you will arise feeling refreshed, instead of groggy?
Understanding The Reasons for Napping
“Experts note three key drivers for daytime sleep for many people,” notes an expert circadian rhythm professor. “The first is known as make-up sleep, that is the action you take when you’ve had poor sleep the previous night. The second is prophylactic napping, when you are anticipating sleep loss ahead, for example if you’re working graveyard shifts. The third reason is “pleasure-based sleep”, which basically is about desire: there is an opportunity to sleep during the day, and it's enjoyable to do it.”
The first thing to consider, then, is consider why you want to nap. “Napping can be genuinely useful when nighttime sleep gets interrupted due to causes you cannot change – such as, when you are caring for an infant, or recovering from illness or strenuous activity,” explains a sleep physiologist. “However, if you’re napping as your sleep at night feels fragile or broken, that is frequently a sign your need for sleep is not as strong as it needs to be. In those cases, naps can become part of the problem, rather than the answer. Use napping as a temporary measure for temporary issues – the focus ought to remain a strong and predictable night’s sleep.”
The Optimal Nap Duration
This implies that daytime sleep ought not to be sufficiently lengthy to affect your sleep at night, and preferably shouldn’t take place after about 3pm (contingent on the time you go to bed in the evening). What's a reasonable length? Guidelines are mixed. From the most-cited studies about napping, researchers at Nasa discovered that space travelers experienced improvements of over 50% in attentiveness and a 34% boost in task performance after a 26-minute nap (in detail, this counted a six-minute falling asleep phase). “My advice is setting a timer for half an hour or less – many individuals doze off within 10 minutes,” notes a sleep expert. “You'll find much advice around about the ideal number of time, yet that often make people feel more anxious than anything else – and the most counterproductive thing you can possibly do when attempting to get to sleep is to stress over it.”
If you’re going to take an extended nap, avoid the 45-60 minute window that induces sleep grogginess, that foggy state when you awaken. “Studies would say it’s better to opt for a lengthier snooze of one to one and a half hours rather than a mid-length nap,” explains the expert. “Forty-five minutes is sufficient to send you into deep sleep making it more likely to feel disoriented when you wake up – whereas if you take it a bit longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you’re likely to be on the end a full cycle and will probably wake up feeling more refreshed. Though if you're dozing for a long period, it can influence your sleep in the evening.”
Creating the Right Sleep Space
When it comes to exact methodologies, suggestions are diverse. Some experts recommend using the same protocol you’d use to encourage quality nighttime sleep: a quiet room, a comfortable bed and maximum darkness as possible. Alternatively, experts propose that you should just doze on a couch in whatever light is available – both to discourage post-nap grogginess and to “protect” your bedroom as the place you associate with nighttime rest. “Sleep is notoriously difficult to will,” explains a sleep coach. “If you don’t have any sleepiness, it is more challenging to recline and basically command yourself to nod off. There must be some drive available to initiate sleep initially. Personally, I can often take a nap in broad daylight and awaken on my own without an alarm, but what helps many individuals is to look for a time that they’re naturally slightly tired and then simply allow sleep to come.”
Experimentation is key, and when you have few options – such as, when aiming to squeeze in a quick nap while traveling or at the office – it's acceptable to employ sleep aids. “Coaching elite athletes, I suggest that they not rely on their own bed for naps, as they’re going to have|they will