Tune into plenty of productivity experts, making it simple to convince yourself that a nap is a powerful tool: more than a band-aid after a bad night’s sleep, but a route towards a better memory, better spirits and perhaps quicker running times. Elite soccer players swear by it – along with professional piano players, mixed martial artists & high-profile executives. Yet, when you haven’t got a dedicated nap-room or employment that encourages regular snoozing, are there *really* worthwhile perks to a burst of shut-eye for it to be worth the effort? Is there a reliable way to nod off promptly? Furthermore, can you honestly promise you will arise feeling improved, instead of groggy?
Exploring The Nap Motivation
“We can identify three key drivers for taking a nap among most adults,” notes a professor of sleep science researcher. “Firstly, there's known as make-up sleep, that is what happens following insufficient sleep the previous night. Another is pre-emptive sleep, which involves preparing for sleep loss coming up, for example during on night shifts. Finally, there's “hedonic napping”, which essentially boils down to desire: you have a moment to sleep during the day, and it's pleasant to indulge.”
The initial step to consider, therefore, is consider your reason for napping. “Napping can be genuinely useful when overnight rest is disturbed due to causes you cannot change – for instance, when you are caring for an infant, or recovering after being ill or strenuous activity,” explains a sleep physiologist. “But if you’re napping because your sleep at night feels fragile or broken, that’s often a sign your sleep drive is not at the level required. Under those circumstances, naps can become part of the problem, rather than the answer. Use napping as a temporary measure for temporary issues – the priority should still be a robust and regular overnight rest.”
The Perfect Snooze Time
This implies that naps ought not to be too extended to interfere with your sleep at night, and ideally are not recommended in the late afternoon (based on what time you go to bed in the evening). What's a reasonable length? Advice differs. In one of the most referenced research about napping, experts noted that space travelers experienced improvements of over 50% in vigilance and a 34% boost in task performance following a nap of 26 minutes (in detail, this counted a six-minute sleep onset time). “I’d suggest using an alarm for 20-30 minutes – many individuals doze off in under ten minutes,” notes a sleep expert. “There is plenty of advice around about the perfect length for sleeping, yet that often cause people to feel more anxious than anything – and the least helpful action you can do when trying to fall asleep is to be anxious.”
If you’re going to take an extended nap, steer clear of the period between 45 and 60 minutes that induces that sluggish feeling, that spaced-out feeling upon waking. “Research suggests it is preferable to take a longer nap lasting 60-90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” says the expert. “Forty-five minutes is sufficient to put you into slow-wave sleep making it more likely to feel disoriented when you wake up – whereas if you extend it a little longer to an hour or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to be on the end a natural sleep cycle and are likely to awaken feeling more rejuvenated. But if you're dozing for a long period, it may impact how you sleep later that night.”
Finding the Perfect Nap Environment
Regarding exact methodologies, suggestions are diverse. Some experts propose adopting comparable habits one would use to encourage quality nighttime sleep: a peaceful area, a comfortable bed and as much darkness as possible. Alternatively, experts propose that one could simply nap on a couch in the existing light is available – to prevent sleep inertia and to maintain your sleeping quarters as the environment your brain links with nighttime rest. “Napping is something really tricky to will,” notes a specialist. “Lacking any drowsiness, it is tougher to recline and basically tell yourself to go to sleep. There’s got to be a natural inclination there to bring the sleep on in the first place. Personally, I can often take a nap in full light and naturally wake up without an alarm, however, what assists most folks is to wait for a time when they are naturally somewhat sleepy and calmly allow sleep to come.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and when your choices are limited – such as, if you’re trying to squeeze in a quick nap on a train or in a soundproof office pod – it's acceptable with bringing some accessories. “Coaching footballers, I recommend that they not rely on their own bed for naps, since they’re going to have|they will
