Hear plenty of performance podcasters, and it’s tempting to convince yourself that napping is a powerful tool: more than a band-aid after a bad night’s sleep, but a shortcut to improved recall, better spirits and perhaps improved athletic performance. Premier League athletes do it regularly – and so are musicians, UFC champions and media moguls. However, if you haven’t got a special sleep space or employment that encourages frequent naps, can there *honestly* worthwhile perks to a short sleep to merit the hassle? Does there exist a dependable method to nod off promptly? And can you really guarantee you will arise feeling better, rather than worse?
Understanding Your Reasons for Napping
“Experts note three primary motivations for daytime sleep for many people,” notes a leading sleep and circadian science researcher. “The first is what we call recovery napping, essentially the action you take after experiencing poor sleep the night before. Another is preparatory napping, where you are pre-empting insufficient sleep ahead, for instance when working graveyard shifts. Finally, there's “appetitive drive”, which essentially boils down to wanting: you have a moment to nap in the daytime, and it's enjoyable to do it.”
The initial step to consider, so, is consider why you want to nap. “Naps can be truly beneficial when overnight rest gets interrupted due to causes beyond your control – for instance, for caring for an infant, or you’re recovering after being ill or intense exercise,” states a sleep specialist. “However, if you’re napping because your nighttime sleep seems unreliable or broken, that can be a signal your need for sleep is not where required. In such situations, daytime sleep can turn into part of the problem, not the solution. Use napping as a temporary measure for temporary issues – the main goal should still be a robust and regular sleep at night.”
The Perfect Snooze Time
This means that daytime sleep shouldn’t be long enough to disrupt your sleep at night, and ideally should not occur in the late afternoon (based on what time you retire overnight). What's a reasonable length? Advice differs. From a prominent study regarding daytime sleep, experts noted that astronauts showed improvements of over 50% in vigilance and a 34% increase in cognitive performance after a 26-minute nap (in detail, this involved a six-minute falling asleep phase). “I recommend using an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – many individuals doze off in under ten minutes,” says a sleep expert. “You'll find much advice around regarding the ideal number for sleeping, but that tends to make people feel more worried than anything else – and the least helpful action you can possibly do when attempting to get to sleep is to be anxious.”
Should you decide to nap for a longer period, steer clear of the 45-60 minute window that encourages sleep grogginess, that spaced-out feeling when you wake. “Research suggests it’s better to take a longer nap of one to one and a half hours compared to a medium-length nap,” explains the sleep scientist. “45 minutes is long enough to plunge you into slow-wave sleep and it is more probable to feel groggy upon awakening – however, if you extend it a bit longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you’re likely to finish of a sleep cycle and should wake up feeling more rejuvenated. Though if you nap for an hour and a half, it can influence your sleep that night.”
Establishing an Ideal Sleep Space
As for specific techniques, recommendations vary. A few professionals recommend using the same protocol one would use to encourage restful sleep: a peaceful area, a comfortable bed and maximum darkness as you can manage. Some advise that you should just doze in a chair in whatever light is available – to prevent sleep inertia and to preserve your bed as the place your brain links with nighttime rest. “Falling asleep is notoriously difficult to force,” notes an expert. “Lacking the urge to sleep, it becomes harder to recline and practically command yourself to nod off. There must be some sleep pressure there to initiate sleep to begin with. For me, it's possible to nap in full light and wake up naturally without a timer, though, what aids many individuals is to anticipate a time that they’re naturally somewhat sleepy and calmly ease into sleep.”
Experimentation is key, and if your choices are limited – such as, if you’re trying to fit in a quick nap while traveling or at the office – it is perfectly fine with bringing a few tools. “Coaching professional sportspeople, I recommend that they avoid becoming accustomed to napping in bed, as they’re going to have|they will
