Hear enough self-improvement experts, making it tempting to believe that napping is a secret weapon: rather than a quick fix following restless night, but a route to a better memory, better spirits and perhaps improved athletic performance. Elite footballers swear by it – as do professional piano players, mixed martial artists and high-profile executives. But if you haven’t got a room for napping or employment that encourages regular snoozing, can there *honestly* enough benefits to a quick nap to merit the effort? Is there a dependable method to fall asleep fast? Plus, is it possible to truly ensure you will get up feeling improved, not worse?
Exploring The Drive to Snooze
“We can identify three key drivers for napping for many people,” says an expert circadian rhythm specialist. “The first is known as compensatory napping, essentially what happens when you’ve had a lack of sleep the night before. The second is pre-emptive sleep, where you are preparing for insufficient sleep ahead, for example when working overnight shifts. The third is called “hedonic napping”, which simply comes down to the wish: you get an opportunity to nap during the day, and it's enjoyable to do it.”
The initial step to do, therefore, is to examine why you want to nap. “Naps can be really helpful when night sleeping is being disrupted due to causes you cannot change – for example, for a new parent, or if you are healing from illness or heavy physical exertion,” says a sleep expert. “However, if you nap as your nighttime sleep seems unreliable or broken, that’s often a signal your sleep drive is not where required. In those cases, napping can become part of the problem, instead of the fix. Employ naps as a temporary measure for temporary issues – the focus ought to remain a strong and predictable night’s sleep.”
The Ideal Nap Length
This means that naps shouldn’t be sufficiently lengthy to interfere with your nighttime sleep, and preferably are not recommended after about 3pm (contingent on when you sleep overnight). What's a reasonable length? Advice differs. Among the most referenced research about napping, researchers at Nasa noted that crew members showed improvements of over 50% in alertness and a 34% boost in performance post a 26-minute snooze (to be precise, this involved a six-minute long falling asleep phase). “My advice is setting a timer for 20 to 30 minutes – the majority doze off quickly,” explains a specialist. “You'll find much advice around regarding the ideal number for sleeping, yet that often lead individuals to become more worried than anything – and the most counterproductive thing you can do when trying to nod off is to be anxious.”
If you’re going to take an extended nap, avoid the 45-60 minute window that promotes sleep grogginess, that foggy state upon waking. “Research suggests it's more effective to opt for an extended nap lasting 60-90 minutes than a medium-length one,” notes the sleep scientist. “45 minutes is enough time to send you into a deep sleep stage making it more likely to feel groggy when you get up – whereas if you extend it a little longer to a full sleep cycle, you’re likely to be on the end a natural sleep cycle and will probably wake up feeling more refreshed. Though if you're dozing for an hour and a half, it can influence the quality of your sleep later that night.”
Establishing an Ideal Nap Environment
As for exact methodologies, suggestions are diverse. Some experts recommend using similar routines one would use to promote restful sleep: a quiet room, a supportive surface and maximum darkness as possible. Alternatively, experts propose that you should just doze on the sofa with ambient lighting is available – to prevent that groggy feeling and to “protect” your sleeping quarters as the place your mind associates with nighttime rest. “Falling asleep is something really tricky to will,” notes an expert. “Without any drowsiness, it becomes harder to recline and practically tell yourself to nod off. There must be a natural inclination there to initiate sleep in the first place. Personally, I can often take a nap in broad daylight and wake up naturally alarm-free, though, what aids most folks is to look for a moment that they’re naturally slightly tired and then simply relax into it.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and when you have few options – for instance, when aiming to grab 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 suggest that they avoid becoming accustomed to sleeping in their bed, as they’re going to have|they will
