Hear enough productivity podcasters, and you'll be tempting to believe that napping is a powerful tool: more than a band-aid after poor sleep, but a shortcut towards enhanced cognition, better spirits and maybe quicker running times. Professional soccer players do it regularly – as do professional piano players, mixed martial artists and media moguls. However, if you don't have a dedicated nap-room or a job that allows regular snoozing, is it *truly* worthwhile perks to a burst of shut-eye to justify the kerfuffle? Can you find a dependable method to fall asleep fast? Plus, is it possible to truly ensure you will get up feeling better, rather than worse?
Understanding The Nap Motivation
“There are three main reasons for napping among most adults,” says a professor of sleep science professor. “The first is termed make-up sleep, essentially what you do following a lack of sleep the night before. Another is prophylactic napping, when you are anticipating sleep loss coming up, such as when working graveyard shifts. The third reason is “hedonic napping”, which basically boils down to wanting: there is an opportunity to nap during the day, and it feels nice to do it.”
The first thing to consider, then, is to examine your reason for napping. “Naps can be really helpful when night sleeping is being disrupted due to causes beyond your control – for example, when you are a parent of a newborn, or if you are healing from illness or strenuous activity,” says a sleep expert. “But if you’re napping as your night sleep is unstable or poor, that can be a sign your body's sleep pressure is not as strong as it needs to be. In such situations, napping can become part of the issue, instead of the fix. Use napping as a temporary measure for temporary issues – the priority should still be a strong and predictable night’s sleep.”
The Perfect Nap Duration
This implies that naps shouldn’t be too extended to interfere with your overnight rest, and best shouldn’t take place in the late afternoon (contingent on the time you sleep at night). What's a reasonable length? Guidelines are mixed. Among the most-cited studies on the subject, researchers at Nasa found that astronauts had improvements of over 50% in alertness plus a 34% rise in task performance after a 26-minute nap (to be precise, this involved a six-minute nodding-off period). “I recommend setting a timer for 20-30 minutes – most people doze off in under ten minutes,” says a sleep coach. “There is plenty of guidance out there regarding the ideal number of time, however, that can cause people to feel more stressed than anything – and the most counterproductive thing you can do while aiming to fall asleep is worry about it.”
Should you decide to take an extended nap, steer clear of the 45-60 minute window that encourages sleep inertia, that disoriented sensation upon waking. “The science would say it's more effective to have an extended nap of 60 to 90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” notes the expert. “Forty-five minutes is enough time to send you into deep sleep and it is more probable to feel sluggish upon awakening – whereas if you extend it a little longer to an hour or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to be completing a natural sleep cycle and should wake up feeling more refreshed. However, if you nap for a long period, it can influence the quality of your sleep in the evening.”
Finding an Ideal Snooze Setting
Regarding specific techniques, recommendations vary. Certain specialists recommend employing similar routines one would use to foster a good night’s sleep: a peaceful area, a cozy bed and maximum darkness as possible. Some advise that one could simply nap on the sofa in the existing light is present – to prevent sleep inertia and to preserve your sleeping quarters as the place your brain links with nighttime rest. “Falling asleep is quite challenging to force,” says a sleep coach. “Lacking the urge to sleep, it becomes harder to get comfortable and basically tell yourself to nod off. There must be some sleep pressure available to start the process initially. Personally, I can often snooze in broad daylight and wake up naturally alarm-free, but what helps a lot of people is to look for a moment when they are naturally slightly tired and then simply ease into sleep.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and if your choices are limited – for example, if you’re trying to grab 40 winks during a commute or in a work pod – it's acceptable with bringing sleep aids. “When I’m working with footballers, I recommend that they avoid becoming accustomed to their own bed for naps, as they’re going to have|they will
