Tune into enough productivity podcasters, and it’s simple to convince yourself that napping is a superpower: not just a quick fix after restless night, but a shortcut to improved recall, improved mood and possibly quicker running times. Premier League soccer players do it regularly – and so are musicians, UFC champions & high-profile executives. However, if you haven’t got a room for napping or a career that permits regular snoozing, can there *honestly* worthwhile perks to a burst of shut-eye for it to be worth the hassle? Can you find a dependable method to get to sleep quickly enough? Furthermore, can you honestly promise you will arise feeling better, instead of groggy?
Exploring The Reasons for Napping
“There are three main reasons for taking a nap in the adult population,” says a leading circadian rhythm researcher. “The first is what we call recovery napping, essentially what happens after experiencing a lack of sleep the night before. Another is prophylactic napping, where you are pre-empting sleep loss in the future, for example when working on night shifts. The third is called “appetitive drive”, which simply comes down to wanting: you have a moment to nap in the daytime, and it's enjoyable to indulge.”
The primary task to undertake, so, is to think about why you want to nap. “Daytime sleep can be really helpful when night sleeping is disturbed due to causes outside your control – such as, when you are caring for an infant, or if you are healing after being ill or heavy physical exertion,” states a sleep expert. “Yet when you nap as your sleep at night is unstable or poor, that’s often an indicator your need for sleep is not at the level it should be. In such situations, napping can become a contributing factor, instead of the fix. Utilize daytime sleep as a temporary measure to address immediate needs – the focus should still be a solid and consistent night’s sleep.”
The Perfect Nap Duration
This means that napping shouldn’t be sufficiently lengthy to disrupt your nighttime sleep, and best should not occur after about 3pm (contingent on when you sleep overnight). How long is sensible? Guidelines are mixed. Among the most-cited studies on the subject, space agency scientists discovered that astronauts showed a boost of up to 54% in vigilance and a 34% increase in task performance after a 26-minute nap (to be precise, this involved a six-minute falling asleep phase). “I recommend setting a timer for half an hour or less – many individuals doze off within 10 minutes,” explains a sleep coach. “You'll find much recommendations about the perfect length for sleeping, however, that can make people feel more anxious above all – and the worst thing you can do when trying to fall asleep is worry about it.”
If you plan to nap for a longer period, avoid the period between 45 and 60 minutes that encourages that sluggish feeling, that foggy state upon waking. “The science indicates it is preferable to take an extended nap of one to one and a half hours rather than a mid-length nap,” explains the sleep scientist. “45 minutes is long enough to put you into a deep sleep stage making it more likely to feel disoriented upon awakening – while if you take it a little longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you’re likely to be on the end a natural sleep cycle and will probably awaken feeling more refreshed. However, if you’re sleeping for an hour and a half, it can influence the quality of your sleep in the evening.”
Finding the Perfect Snooze Setting
As for precise methods, suggestions are diverse. A few professionals recommend employing the same protocol you’d use to foster quality nighttime sleep: a quiet room, a comfortable bed and as much darkness as is feasible. Alternatively, experts propose that it's fine to simply nap on a couch with ambient lighting is available – to prevent that groggy feeling and to “protect” your bed as the place your brain links with *real* sleep. “Napping is notoriously difficult to will,” notes an expert. “Lacking any sleepiness, it becomes harder to get comfortable and essentially tell yourself to nod off. You need a natural inclination present to bring the sleep on to begin with. I can usually take a nap in full light and naturally wake up without a timer, though, what aids many individuals is to look for a moment that they’re naturally somewhat sleepy and calmly ease into sleep.”
Experimentation is key, and if you have few options – such as, when aiming to squeeze in a quick nap on a train or at the office – there’s nothing wrong with bringing a few tools. “In my work with elite athletes, I recommend that they avoid becoming accustomed to their own bed for naps, because they’re going to have|they will
