Tune into enough performance gurus, and you'll be easy to believe that a nap is a superpower: more than a band-aid after a bad night’s sleep, but a shortcut towards improved recall, a brighter outlook and possibly improved athletic performance. Professional soccer players do it regularly – as do concert pianists, fighters and media moguls. However, if you lack a room for napping or a job that permits regular snoozing, can there *honestly* enough benefits to a quick nap to justify the kerfuffle? Can you find a reliable way to fall asleep fast? Furthermore, can you honestly promise you will get up feeling improved, not worse?
Understanding Your Reasons for Napping
“Experts note three primary motivations for taking a nap for many people,” notes an expert sleep science professor. “The first is known as compensatory napping, essentially the action you take after experiencing a lack of sleep the night before. Secondly, there's preparatory napping, when you are preparing for sleep loss in the future, for instance during graveyard shifts. The third is called “pleasure-based sleep”, which essentially comes down to the wish: you have an opportunity to nap during the day, and it feels nice to nap.”
The primary task to undertake, so, is to think about your nap motivation. “Naps can be truly beneficial when nighttime sleep gets interrupted due to causes you cannot change – for instance, when you are caring for an infant, or if you are healing after being ill or strenuous activity,” explains a sleep physiologist. “But if you nap since your night sleep is unstable or broken, that’s often an indicator your sleep drive is not where it should be. In such situations, naps can become a contributing factor, rather than the answer. Use napping as a temporary measure to address immediate needs – the focus ought to remain a robust and regular overnight rest.”
The Perfect Snooze Time
Therefore that naps shouldn’t be sufficiently lengthy to interfere with your overnight rest, and ideally shouldn’t take place after about 3pm (based on when you sleep in the evening). What duration is wise? Recommendations vary. From the most referenced research about napping, space agency scientists noted that space travelers experienced improvements of over 50% in alertness and a 34% increase in cognitive performance after a 26-minute nap (in detail, this included a six-minute falling asleep phase). “I recommend setting an alarm for half an hour or less – many individuals are asleep within 10 minutes,” notes a specialist. “There is plenty of advice around concerning the optimal amount for sleeping, yet that often make people feel more anxious than anything else – and the most counterproductive thing you can do when attempting to get to sleep is to stress over it.”
Should you decide to sleep for longer, avoid the 45-60 minute window that encourages sleep grogginess, that foggy state upon waking. “Studies indicates it's more effective to take a longer nap of 60 to 90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” notes the professor. “Three-quarters of an hour is enough time to plunge you into slow-wave sleep and you’re more likely to feel groggy when you wake up – however, if you nap for a bit longer to an hour or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to be completing a full cycle and are likely to awaken feeling more rejuvenated. However, if you nap for 90 minutes, it can influence how you sleep that night.”
Finding the Perfect Snooze Setting
As for exact methodologies, suggestions are diverse. Some experts suggest adopting comparable habits one would use to foster a good night’s sleep: a quiet room, a supportive surface and minimal light as you can manage. Others suggest that you should simply nap in a chair in the existing light is available – to prevent that groggy feeling and to maintain your bedroom as the space you associate with proper sleep. “Falling asleep is something really tricky to command,” explains an expert. “Without the urge to sleep, it is tougher to recline and essentially instruct yourself to fall asleep. You need some drive present to start the process to begin with. Personally, I can often nap during the day and wake up naturally alarm-free, though, what aids many individuals is to anticipate an instance when they are naturally slightly tired and just gently ease into sleep.”
It’s worth experimenting, and when your choices are limited – for example, when aiming to grab some shut-eye while traveling or in a soundproof office pod – it is perfectly fine with bringing some accessories. “When I’m working with elite athletes, I suggest that they not rely on sleeping in their bed, since they’re going to have|they will
