Listen to a few productivity experts, and you'll be simple to convince yourself that a nap is a secret weapon: more than a sticking plaster following a bad night’s sleep, but a shortcut towards improved recall, a brighter outlook and maybe a faster 5k run time. Professional footballers are all at it – as do musicians, fighters and high-profile executives. However, if you lack a dedicated nap-room or a job that encourages daytime sleep, can there *honestly* enough benefits to a quick nap to merit the hassle? Is there a surefire technique to nod off promptly? Furthermore, can you truly ensure you will arise feeling better, instead of groggy?
Understanding Your Drive to Snooze
“Experts note three main reasons for napping for many people,” says a leading sleep science specialist. “One is termed recovery napping, which is what happens when you’ve had a lack of sleep the previous night. Secondly, there's prophylactic napping, where you are pre-empting sleep loss in the future, such as when working graveyard shifts. The third is called “appetitive drive”, which essentially boils down to the wish: there is an opportunity to sleep in the afternoon, and it feels nice to nap.”
The primary task to consider, therefore, is to think about why you want to nap. “Naps can be genuinely useful when overnight rest is being disrupted because of factors you cannot change – for example, for a new parent, or recovering after being ill or intense exercise,” says a sleep expert. “But if you’re napping because your sleep at night is unstable or poor, that can be an indicator your body's sleep pressure is not where it needs to be. Under those circumstances, napping can become part of the issue, not the solution. Utilize daytime sleep as a temporary measure for short-term problems – the priority ought to remain a solid and consistent night’s sleep.”
The Ideal Snooze Time
Therefore that napping ought not to be too extended to disrupt your sleep at night, and preferably shouldn’t take place after about 3pm (depending on what time you retire at night). What duration is wise? Guidelines are mixed. From a prominent study about napping, experts discovered that astronauts had a boost of up to 54% in alertness and a 34% boost in cognitive performance post a 26-minute snooze (in detail, this involved a six-minute long falling asleep phase). “I recommend setting an alarm for 20-30 minutes – many individuals doze off in under ten minutes,” says a specialist. “You'll find much advice around regarding the perfect length of time, but that tends to make people feel more stressed than anything – and the worst thing you can possibly do while aiming to get to sleep is to be anxious.”
Should you decide to nap for a longer period, avoid the 45 to 60 minute range that induces that sluggish feeling, that foggy state when you awaken. “Research would say it’s better to take a longer nap lasting 60-90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” explains the sleep scientist. “Three-quarters of an hour is long enough to send you into deep sleep and you’re more likely to feel groggy when you get up – whereas if you extend it slightly longer to a full sleep cycle, you will probably to be completing a full cycle and should wake up feeling more rejuvenated. Though if you’re sleeping for an hour and a half, it can influence your sleep later that night.”
Creating an Ideal Sleep Space
When it comes to exact methodologies, advice differs. Some experts suggest using similar routines you’d use to encourage quality nighttime sleep: a peaceful area, a comfortable bed and maximum darkness as you can manage. Some advise that it's fine to merely snooze in a chair in the existing light is present – to prevent sleep inertia and to “protect” your bedroom as the space you associate with *real* sleep. “Napping is notoriously difficult to force,” says a specialist. “Lacking any drowsiness, it is tougher to lie down and essentially tell yourself to nod off. There must be some sleep pressure there to bring the sleep on initially. For me, it's possible to nap during the day and naturally wake up without a timer, but what helps many individuals is to look for a moment that they’re naturally somewhat sleepy and just gently ease into sleep.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and when you have few options – for example, when aiming to fit in a quick nap on a train or in a soundproof office pod – it's acceptable to employ a few tools. “In my work with footballers, I advise that they don’t get used to their own bed for naps, as they’re going to have|they will
