Listen to a few performance gurus, and it’s easy to believe that a nap is a powerful tool: more than a quick fix after restless night, but a path to a better memory, improved mood and perhaps quicker running times. Elite soccer players swear by it – as do musicians, fighters & business leaders. However, if you lack a dedicated nap-room or a job that allows regular snoozing, are there *really* worthwhile perks to a burst of shut-eye for it to be worth the effort? Is there a reliable way to fall asleep fast? And can you really guarantee you’ll wake up feeling refreshed, instead of groggy?
Exploring Your Nap Motivation
“We can identify three key drivers for taking a nap for many people,” notes a leading sleep science specialist. “The first is termed make-up sleep, essentially what happens after experiencing poor sleep the previous night. Another is preparatory napping, when you are preparing for a sleep deficit in the future, for instance if you’re working graveyard shifts. Finally, there's “pleasure-based sleep”, which essentially is about wanting: there is a moment to nap during the day, and it's pleasant to indulge.”
The initial step to undertake, so, is to examine your reason for napping. “Napping can be really helpful when overnight rest is being disrupted because of factors you cannot change – for instance, for a parent of a newborn, or if you are healing from illness or strenuous activity,” states a sleep physiologist. “However, if you take a nap as your sleep at night is unstable or poor, that can be a signal your sleep drive is not as strong as it needs to be. Under those circumstances, naps can become part of the issue, not the solution. Utilize daytime sleep as a short-term solution for short-term problems – the priority ought to remain a solid and consistent night’s sleep.”
The Perfect Snooze Time
Therefore that napping shouldn’t be too extended to affect your sleep at night, and preferably shouldn’t take place in the late afternoon (based on the time you sleep overnight). What's a reasonable length? Advice differs. From the most referenced research regarding daytime sleep, experts noted that space travelers showed improvements of over 50% in alertness and a 34% increase in performance after a 26-minute nap (to be precise, this involved a six-minute falling asleep phase). “My advice is setting a timer for half an hour or less – the majority doze off quickly,” notes a specialist. “There’s a lot of recommendations concerning the perfect length for sleeping, but that tends to make people feel more worried than anything – and the least helpful action one can do when trying to nod off is worry about it.”
Should you decide to sleep for longer, steer clear of the 45 to 60 minute range that encourages sleep inertia, that spaced-out feeling upon waking. “Research indicates it's more effective to opt for a lengthier snooze of 60 to 90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” notes the expert. “45 minutes is enough time to send you into a deep sleep stage making it more likely to feel disoriented when you get up – while if you extend it a bit longer to an hour or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to be completing a full cycle and should awaken feeling more rejuvenated. Though if you nap for 90 minutes, it may impact how you sleep later that night.”
Finding the Right Nap Environment
When it comes to exact methodologies, advice differs. Some experts suggest using the same protocol one would use to encourage restful sleep: a peaceful area, a cozy bed and maximum darkness as possible. Some advise that it's fine to merely snooze in a chair with ambient lighting is present – both to discourage that groggy feeling and to maintain your bed as the space your brain links with proper sleep. “Falling asleep is quite challenging to will,” says an expert. “If you don’t have any drowsiness, it becomes harder to lie down and practically instruct yourself to nod off. You need some sleep pressure present to bring the sleep on in the first place. For me, it's possible to nap during the day and naturally wake up without an alarm, however, what assists most folks is to look for a moment where they feel naturally somewhat sleepy and then simply ease into sleep.”
It’s worth experimenting, and if your choices are limited – such as, when aiming to squeeze in 40 winks while traveling or at the office – there’s nothing wrong to employ some accessories. “In my work with professional sportspeople, I suggest that they avoid becoming accustomed to napping in bed, since they’re going to have|they will
