Hear enough productivity podcasters, making it simple to convince yourself that dozing is a powerful tool: rather than a quick fix following restless night, but a shortcut to enhanced cognition, a brighter outlook and perhaps improved athletic performance. Professional footballers swear by it – as do concert pianists, UFC champions & high-profile executives. However, if you don't have a room for napping or employment that allows daytime sleep, is it *truly* enough benefits to a short sleep to justify the effort? Does there exist a reliable way to nod off promptly? Plus, is it possible to honestly promise you will arise feeling better, not worse?
Understanding The Drive to Snooze
“Experts note three primary motivations for taking a nap in the adult population,” says a leading sleep and circadian science professor. “Firstly, there's what we call recovery napping, essentially what you do following poor sleep overnight. The second is preparatory napping, which involves preparing for sleep loss ahead, for example when working overnight shifts. Finally, there's “hedonic napping”, which simply is about wanting: you have an opportunity to sleep in the afternoon, and it's enjoyable to do it.”
The initial step to consider, so, is to examine your nap motivation. “Daytime sleep can be genuinely useful when overnight rest is disturbed because of factors outside your control – for example, when you are caring for an infant, or recovering after being ill or strenuous activity,” states a sleep specialist. “However, if you take a nap because your nighttime sleep feels fragile or poor, that can be a sign your sleep drive is not at the level it should be. In such situations, daytime sleep can turn into a contributing factor, rather than the answer. Use napping as a temporary measure for short-term problems – the main goal must always be a solid and consistent night’s sleep.”
The Perfect Snooze Time
This means that naps shouldn’t be too extended to interfere with your overnight rest, and ideally shouldn’t take place after about 3pm (based on the time you sleep at night). What duration is wise? Recommendations vary. From the most referenced research on the subject, researchers at Nasa found that astronauts had a boost of up to 54% in alertness and a 34% increase in cognitive performance following a nap of 26 minutes (in detail, this counted a six-minute sleep onset time). “I’d suggest setting a timer for 20-30 minutes – most people doze off quickly,” says a sleep coach. “There is plenty of guidance out there concerning the optimal amount for sleeping, yet that often lead individuals to become more anxious than anything – and the most counterproductive thing one can 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 encourages sleep grogginess, that foggy state upon waking. “Research suggests it is preferable to have an extended nap lasting 60-90 minutes than a medium-length one,” explains the professor. “45 minutes is sufficient to send you into a deep sleep stage and you’re more likely to feel disoriented when you wake up – whereas if you extend it slightly longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you’re likely to be completing a natural sleep cycle and are likely to awaken feeling more alert. But if you nap for an hour and a half, it can influence how you sleep that night.”
Establishing an Ideal Sleep Space
When it comes to exact methodologies, suggestions are diverse. Some experts recommend employing comparable habits you use to encourage restful sleep: a quiet room, a comfortable bed and as much darkness as you can manage. Others suggest that one could merely snooze on a couch in whatever light is available – both to discourage post-nap grogginess and to preserve your bedroom as the place your mind associates with nighttime rest. “Sleep is quite challenging to force,” notes a specialist. “Without any drowsiness, it is more challenging to lie down and practically instruct yourself to nod off. There’s got to be some sleep pressure there to bring the sleep on in the first place. I can usually nap during the day and wake up naturally alarm-free, but what helps most folks is to wait for a moment that they’re naturally somewhat sleepy and just gently ease into sleep.”
It’s worth experimenting, and should options are scarce – for instance, if attempting to grab a quick nap during a commute or in a work pod – it's acceptable with bringing sleep aids. “Coaching elite athletes, I suggest that they avoid becoming accustomed to napping in bed, because they’re going to have|they will
