Hear plenty of performance gurus, and you'll be tempting to convince yourself that napping is a powerful tool: rather than a band-aid after a bad night’s sleep, but a path towards a better memory, better spirits and perhaps quicker running times. Elite athletes are all at it – along with concert pianists, fighters and media moguls. But if you don't have a room for napping or a job that encourages frequent naps, are there *really* worthwhile perks to a short sleep for it to be worth the effort? Is there a surefire technique to fall asleep fast? Plus, is it possible to truly ensure you will arise feeling better, not worse?
Understanding The Drive to Snooze
“Experts note three key drivers for taking a nap in the adult population,” notes a leading circadian rhythm specialist. “The first is what we call make-up sleep, which is the action you take following poor sleep the night before. The second is pre-emptive sleep, when you are anticipating insufficient sleep ahead, for instance when working on night shifts. Finally, there's “hedonic napping”, which simply comes down to desire: you get a moment to doze during the day, and it feels nice to indulge.”
The primary task to consider, so, is to examine your reason for napping. “Naps can be really helpful when nighttime sleep gets interrupted because of factors you cannot change – such as, when you are a parent of a newborn, or recovering from illness or intense exercise,” says a sleep expert. “But if you nap since your night sleep is unstable or broken, that can be a signal your need for sleep is not where it should be. In those cases, naps can become a contributing factor, not the solution. Use napping as a short-term solution for short-term problems – the main goal should still be a robust and regular overnight rest.”
The Ideal Snooze Time
This means that napping must not be long enough to disrupt your nighttime sleep, and best are not recommended after about 3pm (contingent on when you go to bed at night). What duration is wise? Guidelines are mixed. From the most referenced research about napping, experts found that space travelers showed improvements of over 50% in attentiveness plus a 34% rise in task performance after a 26-minute nap (in detail, this involved an initial six-minute falling asleep phase). “I’d suggest setting a timer for 20-30 minutes – many individuals fall asleep quickly,” says a specialist. “There is plenty of guidance out there regarding the optimal amount of minutes, yet that often lead individuals to become more worried than anything – and the least helpful action you can possibly do when trying to fall asleep is to stress over it.”
If you plan to take an extended nap, avoid the 45 to 60 minute range that promotes sleep inertia, that disoriented sensation when you wake. “Research would say it’s better to have a lengthier snooze of 60 to 90 minutes than a medium-length one,” notes the expert. “45 minutes is sufficient to send you into slow-wave sleep and you’re more likely to feel disoriented when you get up – whereas if you extend it a little longer to a full sleep cycle, you will probably to be on the end of a sleep cycle and should get up feeling more rejuvenated. Though if you're dozing for an hour and a half, it will affect the quality of your sleep that night.”
Establishing the Right Sleep Space
When it comes to precise methods, recommendations vary. Some experts recommend using comparable habits one would use to foster restful sleep: a silent space, a supportive surface and maximum darkness as possible. Alternatively, experts propose that one could just doze in a chair with ambient lighting is present – to prevent sleep inertia and to “protect” your bed as the place your mind associates with nighttime rest. “Sleep is notoriously difficult to command,” says an expert. “Without any drowsiness, it is more challenging to recline and practically instruct yourself to fall asleep. There’s got to be some sleep pressure there to bring the sleep on in the first place. Personally, I can often take a nap in broad daylight and wake up naturally without an alarm, though, what aids a lot of people is to anticipate a moment that they’re naturally somewhat sleepy and just gently ease into sleep.”
It’s worth experimenting, and if your choices are limited – for instance, if you’re trying to fit in a quick nap on a train or at the office – it's acceptable to employ sleep aids. “Coaching footballers, I advise that they avoid becoming accustomed to napping in bed, as they’re going to have|they will
