Tune into plenty of self-improvement gurus, and you'll be simple to believe that a nap is a powerful tool: rather than a sticking plaster after poor sleep, but a route towards a better memory, improved mood and perhaps a faster 5k run time. Premier League athletes are all at it – along with musicians, fighters and business leaders. However, if you haven’t got a room for napping or a career that allows daytime sleep, can there *honestly* sufficient advantages to a short sleep for it to be worth the hassle? Is there a surefire technique to get to sleep quickly enough? And can you truly ensure you will get up feeling improved, rather than worse?
Identifying The Drive to Snooze
“There are three key drivers for napping among most adults,” explains a professor of sleep science specialist. “The first is termed compensatory napping, essentially what happens following a lack of sleep the night before. The second is pre-emptive sleep, which involves preparing for insufficient sleep ahead, for example when working overnight shifts. Finally, there's “pleasure-based sleep”, which essentially comes down to the wish: you get a chance to sleep in the daytime, and it feels nice to nap.”
The primary task to undertake, then, is to think about why you want to nap. “Naps can be really helpful when overnight rest is being disrupted because of factors you cannot change – for example, for caring for an infant, or recovering after being ill or strenuous activity,” explains a sleep expert. “Yet when you take a nap since your night sleep feels fragile or poor, that can be a signal your body's sleep pressure is not as strong as it should be. Under those circumstances, daytime sleep can turn into a contributing factor, not the solution. Use napping for brief periods for short-term problems – the focus ought to remain a robust and regular sleep at night.”
The Optimal Snooze Time
This implies that naps shouldn’t be sufficiently lengthy to interfere with your sleep at night, and preferably should not occur after about 3pm (contingent on what time you retire at night). What's a reasonable length? Recommendations vary. From the most-cited studies on the subject, space agency scientists noted that space travelers had improvements of over 50% in vigilance and a 34% increase in task performance after a 26-minute nap (in detail, this included a six-minute falling asleep phase). “My advice is setting a timer for 20-30 minutes – most people doze off within 10 minutes,” says a sleep coach. “There’s a lot of guidance out there about the ideal number for sleeping, yet that often lead individuals to become more stressed than anything else – and the least helpful action you can do when trying to get to sleep is to be anxious.”
Should you decide to sleep for longer, bypass the 45 to 60 minute range that encourages sleep inertia, that foggy state when you awaken. “The science indicates it’s better to opt for an extended nap of 60 to 90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” says the expert. “Three-quarters of an hour is long enough to plunge you into a deep sleep stage and you’re more likely to feel disoriented upon awakening – however, if you take it a little longer to a full sleep cycle, it's likely you'll to be completing a natural sleep cycle and will probably get up feeling more alert. But if you nap for 90 minutes, it will affect your sleep that night.”
Creating the Perfect Sleep Space
When it comes to exact methodologies, recommendations vary. Some experts suggest adopting the same protocol one would use to encourage restful sleep: a peaceful area, a cozy bed and minimal light as possible. Some advise that one could merely snooze in a chair in whatever light happens to be around – to avoid that groggy feeling and to “protect” your sleeping quarters as the place your mind associates with proper sleep. “Napping is quite challenging to force,” explains an expert. “Lacking any sleepiness, it is tougher to lie down and practically instruct yourself to go to sleep. There’s got to be a natural inclination there to initiate sleep to begin with. For me, it's possible to nap in broad daylight and wake up naturally without an alarm, though, what aids a lot of people is to anticipate a time that they’re naturally slightly tired and then simply ease into sleep.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and if you have few options – for example, if attempting to fit in 40 winks while traveling or in a work pod – it's acceptable to use some accessories. “When I’m working with footballers, I suggest that they avoid becoming accustomed to napping in bed, since they’re going to have|they will
