Tune into enough performance experts, making it tempting to think that napping is a powerful tool: rather than a sticking plaster following poor sleep, but a shortcut towards enhanced cognition, improved mood and maybe a faster 5k run time. Elite footballers do it regularly – along with professional piano players, mixed martial artists and media moguls. But if you lack a room for napping or a career that permits regular snoozing, can there *honestly* enough benefits to a quick nap to merit the hassle? Is there a reliable way to nod off promptly? Furthermore, can you really guarantee you will arise feeling refreshed, not worse?
Identifying The Reasons for Napping
“Experts note three main reasons for napping among most adults,” says an expert sleep and circadian science specialist. “One is what we call recovery napping, which is what you do following a lack of sleep the previous night. The second is prophylactic napping, which involves anticipating sleep loss in the future, for example if you’re working graveyard shifts. The third is called “appetitive drive”, which essentially boils down to wanting: you get a moment to nap in the daytime, and it's enjoyable to do it.”
The first thing to do, therefore, is consider your reason for napping. “Napping can be really helpful when night sleeping gets interrupted for reasons beyond your control – such as, if you’re a parent of a newborn, or you’re recovering from sickness or intense exercise,” says a sleep physiologist. “Yet when you’re napping because your nighttime sleep is unstable or unreliable, that is frequently an indicator your body's sleep pressure is not as strong as required. In such situations, daytime sleep can turn into part of the problem, rather than the answer. Use napping as a short-term solution for temporary issues – the main goal must always be a strong and predictable night’s sleep.”
The Optimal Snooze Time
This implies that napping must not be too extended to affect your sleep at night, and preferably are not recommended after about 3pm (contingent on when you retire in the evening). What's a reasonable length? Guidelines are mixed. Among the most referenced research on the subject, experts found that space travelers experienced a boost of up to 54% in alertness and a 34% boost in cognitive performance post a 26-minute snooze (technically, this counted an initial six-minute nodding-off period). “My advice is setting an alarm for half an hour or less – the majority fall asleep within 10 minutes,” notes a specialist. “There is plenty of guidance out there about the ideal number for sleeping, however, that can cause people to feel more stressed above all – and the least helpful action one can do when attempting to fall asleep is worry about it.”
If you’re going to nap for a longer period, steer clear of the period between 45 and 60 minutes that encourages sleep grogginess, that foggy state when you awaken. “Studies indicates it is preferable to have a lengthier snooze lasting 60-90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” explains the professor. “45 minutes is sufficient to plunge you into slow-wave sleep making it more likely to feel sluggish upon awakening – whereas if you take it a bit longer to a full sleep cycle, you’re likely to be completing of a sleep cycle and are likely to awaken feeling more refreshed. But if you're dozing for an hour and a half, it can influence your sleep later that night.”
Finding the Perfect Nap Environment
As for specific techniques, suggestions are diverse. A few professionals recommend adopting the same protocol you use to foster a good night’s sleep: a quiet room, a supportive surface and minimal light as possible. Alternatively, experts propose that one could simply nap on the sofa with ambient lighting is present – both to discourage sleep inertia and to “protect” your bed as the space your brain links with nighttime rest. “Napping is quite challenging to force,” notes a sleep coach. “If you don’t have the urge to sleep, it becomes harder to recline and basically tell yourself to fall asleep. You need a natural inclination present to start the process in the first place. For me, it's possible to nap during the day and awaken on my own without an alarm, however, what assists many individuals is to look for a time that they’re naturally slightly tired and just gently allow sleep to come.”
It’s worth experimenting, and when your choices are limited – for instance, if you’re trying to fit in 40 winks while traveling or in a soundproof office pod – there’s nothing wrong to use some accessories. “Coaching elite athletes, I advise that they not rely on their own bed for naps, as they’re going to have|they will
