Tune into plenty of performance experts, and it’s tempting to believe that napping is a powerful tool: more than a sticking plaster following a bad night’s sleep, but a path towards improved recall, a brighter outlook and perhaps improved athletic performance. Professional footballers are all at it – as do professional piano players, mixed martial artists and high-profile executives. But if you don't have a special sleep space or a job that allows frequent naps, are there *really* worthwhile perks to a short sleep to merit the effort? Is there a dependable method to fall asleep fast? Furthermore, can you honestly promise you will get up feeling better, instead of groggy?
Understanding Your Reasons for Napping
“Experts note three primary motivations for taking a nap in the adult population,” explains an expert sleep and circadian science professor. “The first is known as compensatory napping, essentially the action you take after experiencing poor sleep the previous night. Another is preparatory napping, when you are anticipating a sleep deficit in the future, for instance if you’re working overnight shifts. Finally, there's “pleasure-based sleep”, which essentially boils down to the wish: you have a chance to doze in the daytime, and it feels nice to indulge.”
The primary task to do, so, is to examine why you want to nap. “Naps can be genuinely useful when overnight rest is being disrupted due to causes outside your control – for example, when you are a parent of a newborn, or if you are healing after being ill or strenuous activity,” states a sleep specialist. “However, if you take a nap as your sleep at night feels fragile or broken, that’s often an indicator your body's sleep pressure is not at the level it needs to be. In those cases, napping can become a contributing factor, instead of the fix. Use napping for brief periods for temporary issues – the main goal must always be a solid and consistent night’s sleep.”
The Ideal Snooze Time
This means that napping ought not to be sufficiently lengthy to affect your sleep at night, and preferably shouldn’t take place after about 3pm (based on what time you go to bed in the evening). How long is sensible? Guidelines are mixed. In one of a prominent study about napping, researchers at Nasa noted that crew members experienced a boost of up to 54% in alertness and a 34% boost in task performance following a nap of 26 minutes (technically, this involved an initial six-minute nodding-off period). “I’d suggest setting a timer for 20 to 30 minutes – the majority fall asleep within 10 minutes,” says a sleep expert. “There is plenty of advice around regarding the ideal number of minutes, but that tends to lead individuals to become more worried above all – and the most counterproductive thing you can possibly do when trying to nod off is worry about it.”
If you’re going to nap for a longer period, bypass the 45-60 minute window that induces sleep grogginess, that disoriented sensation when you awaken. “The science indicates it is preferable to opt for a lengthier snooze of one to one and a half hours than a medium-length one,” explains the sleep scientist. “Three-quarters of an hour is sufficient to plunge you into deep sleep and you’re more likely to feel disoriented when you wake up – while if you nap for slightly longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you’re likely to be completing a full cycle and should awaken feeling more refreshed. Though if you're dozing for a long period, it may impact the quality of your sleep that night.”
Finding the Perfect Nap Environment
As for specific techniques, recommendations vary. Some experts propose employing similar routines one would use to promote restful sleep: a silent space, a cozy bed and maximum darkness as you can manage. Some advise that you should merely snooze in a chair in the existing light is available – to avoid that groggy feeling and to maintain your bed as the environment you associate with proper sleep. “Napping is quite challenging to force,” explains a sleep coach. “If you don’t have the urge to sleep, it becomes harder to recline and essentially command yourself to go to sleep. There must be a natural inclination available to start the process in the first place. For me, it's possible to snooze in broad daylight and awaken on my own alarm-free, but what helps a lot of people is to anticipate a moment where they feel naturally somewhat sleepy and calmly relax into it.”
It’s worth experimenting, and if options are scarce – for instance, if attempting to grab a quick nap during a commute or in a soundproof office pod – there’s nothing wrong to use some accessories. “Coaching footballers, I recommend that they not rely on napping in bed, because they’re going to have|they will
