Tune into a few performance gurus, and it’s tempting to think that a nap is a powerful tool: not just a sticking plaster after a bad night’s sleep, but a route towards improved recall, improved mood and perhaps improved athletic performance. Premier League soccer players are all at it – and so are concert pianists, fighters and business leaders. Yet, when you don't have a dedicated nap-room or employment that allows regular snoozing, are there *really* sufficient advantages to a burst of shut-eye for it to be worth the kerfuffle? Can you find a reliable way to fall asleep fast? Plus, is it possible to honestly promise you will get up feeling refreshed, not worse?
Exploring The Reasons for Napping
“There are three main reasons for taking a nap for many people,” notes a leading circadian rhythm researcher. “The first is what we call compensatory napping, which is the action you take after experiencing a lack of sleep overnight. Secondly, there's pre-emptive sleep, which involves preparing for a sleep deficit ahead, such as when working overnight shifts. Finally, there's “pleasure-based sleep”, which basically is about the wish: you have a chance to sleep in the daytime, and it's pleasant to indulge.”
The primary task to consider, so, is to examine why you want to nap. “Naps can be genuinely useful when nighttime sleep gets interrupted due to causes outside your control – such as, for a new parent, or you’re recovering from illness or intense exercise,” says a sleep specialist. “But if you nap because your sleep at night is unstable or broken, that’s often a signal your need for sleep is not at the level it needs to be. In such situations, napping can become a contributing factor, rather than the answer. Use napping as a temporary measure for short-term problems – the focus ought to remain a solid and consistent overnight rest.”
The Ideal Nap Duration
This means that napping must not be too extended to affect your nighttime sleep, and preferably should not occur post-3 p.m. (based on when you go to bed overnight). How long is sensible? Advice differs. In one of the most referenced research on the subject, researchers at Nasa discovered that space travelers showed up to a 54% increase in vigilance and a 34% boost in performance after a 26-minute nap (technically, this included a six-minute nodding-off period). “I’d suggest using an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – the majority doze off in under ten minutes,” notes a specialist. “There’s a lot of recommendations regarding the ideal number of minutes, yet that often cause people to feel more worried than anything else – and the most counterproductive thing you can do when attempting to get to sleep is worry about it.”
If you’re going to nap for a longer period, bypass the period between 45 and 60 minutes that induces sleep inertia, that foggy state upon waking. “Research suggests it's more effective to have an extended nap lasting 60-90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” says the professor. “Three-quarters of an hour is sufficient to plunge you into slow-wave sleep and you’re more likely to feel disoriented when you get up – however, if you extend it a bit longer to a full sleep cycle, it's likely you'll to finish of a sleep cycle and will probably awaken feeling more rejuvenated. But if you're dozing for a long period, it can influence your sleep later that night.”
Finding an Ideal Nap Environment
As for precise methods, suggestions are diverse. Certain specialists suggest employing the same protocol you’d use to promote restful sleep: a silent space, a supportive surface and minimal light as you can manage. Others suggest that one could just doze on a couch with ambient lighting is available – both to discourage that groggy feeling and to “protect” your sleeping quarters as the space you associate with *real* sleep. “Falling asleep is quite challenging to command,” says a specialist. “If you don’t have the urge to sleep, it is tougher to lie down and essentially instruct yourself to fall asleep. There’s got to be some sleep pressure available to bring the sleep on initially. For me, it's possible to snooze in broad daylight and awaken on my own without a timer, but what helps most folks is to wait for an instance that they’re naturally feeling a bit drowsy and just gently allow sleep to come.”
Experimentation is key, and should options are scarce – for instance, if attempting to fit in some shut-eye while traveling or in a soundproof office pod – it is perfectly fine to use sleep aids. “When I’m working with professional sportspeople, I suggest that they avoid becoming accustomed to sleeping in their bed, as they’re going to have|they will