Tune into enough productivity gurus, making it simple to convince yourself that napping is a superpower: rather than a sticking plaster after a bad night’s sleep, but a route towards improved recall, better spirits and perhaps quicker running times. Elite athletes swear by it – and so are concert pianists, UFC champions and high-profile executives. Yet, when you don't have a special sleep space or a career that allows daytime sleep, is it *truly* enough benefits to a short sleep for it to be worth the effort? Can you find a reliable way to nod off promptly? Furthermore, can you truly ensure you’ll wake up feeling refreshed, instead of groggy?
Understanding The Reasons for Napping
“There are three key drivers for napping for many people,” says a leading sleep science specialist. “The first is known as recovery napping, essentially what you do after experiencing poor sleep the previous night. Secondly, there's preparatory napping, when you are pre-empting a sleep deficit ahead, for instance when working overnight shifts. The third reason is “pleasure-based sleep”, which essentially boils down to desire: you get a moment to nap in the afternoon, and it's enjoyable to indulge.”
The first thing to undertake, so, is to examine your nap motivation. “Napping can be genuinely useful when nighttime sleep is being disrupted due to causes outside your control – for example, if you’re caring for an infant, or if you are healing from illness or heavy physical exertion,” says a sleep specialist. “However, if you take a nap because your nighttime sleep seems unreliable or poor, that can be a sign your sleep drive is not where it needs to be. In those cases, daytime sleep can turn into part of the problem, instead of the fix. Employ naps as a temporary measure for temporary issues – the focus must always be a strong and predictable overnight rest.”
The Perfect Nap Length
This implies that daytime sleep shouldn’t be long enough to interfere with your sleep at night, and ideally should not occur in the late afternoon (based on what time you retire in the evening). What duration is wise? Recommendations vary. From a prominent study regarding daytime sleep, researchers at Nasa found that astronauts experienced up to a 54% increase in alertness and a 34% boost in performance after a 26-minute nap (in detail, this counted an initial six-minute nodding-off period). “I’d suggest setting an alarm for half an hour or less – the majority doze off quickly,” notes a specialist. “There is plenty of advice around concerning the perfect length for sleeping, but that tends to cause people to feel more worried than anything – and the worst thing you can do when attempting to nod off is to be anxious.”
If you’re going to sleep for longer, avoid the 45-60 minute window that encourages sleep inertia, that spaced-out feeling when you wake. “The science suggests it's more effective to opt for an extended nap of 60 to 90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” says the expert. “Three-quarters of an hour is sufficient to put you into deep sleep and you’re more likely to feel groggy upon awakening – whereas if you extend it a bit longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you’re likely to be on the end a natural sleep cycle and will probably get up feeling more refreshed. Though if you nap for 90 minutes, it may impact your sleep that night.”
Creating the Right Sleep Space
When it comes to specific techniques, recommendations vary. A few professionals suggest adopting the same protocol you use to encourage quality nighttime sleep: a peaceful area, a supportive surface and maximum darkness as you can manage. Alternatively, experts propose that you should merely snooze in a chair in the existing light is available – to avoid that groggy feeling and to maintain your bedroom as the place your brain links with nighttime rest. “Sleep is something really tricky to will,” explains an expert. “Lacking any drowsiness, it is tougher to lie down and practically tell yourself to go to sleep. You need some drive present to initiate sleep initially. For me, it's possible to nap during the day and wake up naturally without a timer, however, what assists a lot of people is to look for a time when they are naturally slightly tired and just gently ease into sleep.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and when options are scarce – for example, if attempting to squeeze in some shut-eye while traveling or in a work pod – it's acceptable to use sleep aids. “When I’m working with footballers, I suggest that they don’t get used to their own bed for naps, because they’re going to have|they will
