Hear a few performance experts, and you'll be easy to convince yourself that a nap is a secret weapon: rather than a sticking plaster after restless night, but a shortcut to enhanced cognition, a brighter outlook and possibly improved athletic performance. Elite athletes swear by it – as do professional piano players, UFC champions & media moguls. Yet, when you haven’t got a room for napping or employment that permits daytime sleep, are there *really* sufficient advantages to a burst of shut-eye to justify 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?
Understanding The Nap Motivation
“We can identify three primary motivations for taking a nap for many people,” explains a professor of sleep and circadian science professor. “The first is termed make-up sleep, essentially the action you take when you’ve had poor sleep the previous night. Secondly, there's preparatory napping, which involves preparing for a sleep deficit coming up, for instance during on night shifts. The third is called “appetitive drive”, which essentially boils down to wanting: there is a moment to nap in the daytime, and it's pleasant to nap.”
The initial step to consider, therefore, is to examine why you want to nap. “Naps can be truly beneficial when night sleeping is being disrupted due to causes beyond your control – for example, when you are caring for an infant, or you’re recovering after being ill or heavy physical exertion,” states a sleep expert. “Yet when you’re napping as your nighttime sleep feels fragile or unreliable, that can be a signal your body's sleep pressure is not at the level it should be. In those cases, naps can become part of the issue, not the solution. Employ naps for brief periods for short-term problems – the focus should still be a strong and predictable night’s sleep.”
The Ideal Nap Duration
Therefore that daytime sleep shouldn’t be sufficiently lengthy to disrupt your nighttime sleep, and best should not occur after about 3pm (depending on the time you go to bed overnight). How long is sensible? Advice differs. Among the most-cited studies on the subject, researchers at Nasa found that astronauts showed improvements of over 50% in vigilance and a 34% increase in task performance post a 26-minute snooze (to be precise, this involved a six-minute sleep onset time). “I’d suggest using an alarm for half an hour or less – the majority are asleep within 10 minutes,” says a specialist. “You'll find much advice around about the ideal number for sleeping, but that tends to lead individuals to become more anxious than anything – and the worst thing you can do when trying to get to sleep is to be anxious.”
If you plan to sleep for longer, steer clear of the 45 to 60 minute range that encourages that sluggish feeling, that spaced-out feeling upon waking. “Studies suggests it’s better to opt for an extended nap of 60 to 90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” explains the expert. “45 minutes is long enough to put you into a deep sleep stage and it is more probable to feel groggy when you get up – whereas if you nap for a bit longer to a full sleep cycle, it's likely you'll to finish of a sleep cycle and should awaken feeling more refreshed. However, if you nap for a long period, it may impact your sleep in the evening.”
Finding an Ideal Sleep Space
When it comes to precise methods, advice differs. Certain specialists recommend adopting the same protocol you use to encourage a good night’s sleep: a silent space, a comfortable bed and maximum darkness as is feasible. Alternatively, experts propose that one could merely snooze in a chair in the existing light is present – both to discourage sleep inertia and to “protect” your bed as the space your mind associates with proper sleep. “Napping is notoriously difficult to force,” notes a specialist. “Without any sleepiness, it is more challenging to get comfortable and practically instruct yourself to go to sleep. There must be some sleep pressure available to initiate sleep in the first place. Personally, I can often take a nap in full light and naturally wake up without an alarm, however, what assists many individuals is to anticipate a time that they’re naturally slightly tired and then simply relax into it.”
It’s worth experimenting, and when options are scarce – for example, if attempting to grab 40 winks while traveling or in a soundproof office pod – it's acceptable to use sleep aids. “When I’m working with elite athletes, I advise that they avoid becoming accustomed to their own bed for naps, as they’re going to have|they will
