Hear plenty of self-improvement experts, making it tempting to think that dozing is a secret weapon: more than a quick fix following a bad night’s sleep, but a route towards enhanced cognition, a brighter outlook and perhaps a faster 5k run time. Elite soccer players swear by it – and so are concert pianists, mixed martial artists and media moguls. But if you don't have a dedicated nap-room or a job that encourages frequent naps, is it *truly* sufficient advantages to a quick nap to merit the kerfuffle? Can you find a dependable method to fall asleep fast? And can you truly ensure you will get up feeling better, not worse?
Exploring Your Nap Motivation
“We can identify three key drivers for napping in the adult population,” says a professor of sleep and circadian science professor. “One is known as make-up sleep, essentially what you do after experiencing a lack of sleep the night before. Secondly, there's prophylactic napping, where you are pre-empting sleep loss ahead, such as when working overnight shifts. The third is called “hedonic napping”, which basically comes down to desire: you get a moment to nap in the afternoon, and it's enjoyable to indulge.”
The initial step to do, therefore, is to examine your reason for napping. “Daytime sleep can be truly beneficial when night sleeping gets interrupted due to causes you cannot change – for instance, for caring for an infant, or you’re recovering after being ill or heavy physical exertion,” explains a sleep specialist. “Yet when you take a nap since your night sleep seems unreliable or broken, that’s often an indicator your sleep drive is not where it needs to be. In such situations, naps can become part of the issue, instead of the fix. Utilize daytime sleep as a temporary measure for temporary issues – the focus ought to remain a strong and predictable night’s sleep.”
The Optimal Nap Duration
This means that napping shouldn’t be sufficiently lengthy to affect your sleep at night, and preferably shouldn’t take place in the late afternoon (based on the time you sleep overnight). What duration is wise? Advice differs. From the most-cited studies on the subject, experts noted that astronauts experienced a boost of up to 54% in alertness and a 34% boost in cognitive performance after a 26-minute nap (to be precise, this counted an initial six-minute sleep onset time). “I recommend using an alarm for 20-30 minutes – many individuals are asleep within 10 minutes,” explains a sleep expert. “There is plenty of guidance out there about the ideal number for sleeping, however, that can lead individuals to become more anxious than anything else – and the most counterproductive thing you can do while aiming to nod off is worry about it.”
Should you decide to take an extended nap, avoid the period between 45 and 60 minutes that promotes sleep inertia, that spaced-out feeling upon waking. “Research indicates it is preferable to opt for a longer nap of 60 to 90 minutes than a medium-length one,” notes the expert. “Three-quarters of an hour 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 take it slightly longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you’re likely to finish a full cycle and are likely to wake up feeling more rejuvenated. Though if you're dozing for an hour and a half, it may impact your sleep in the evening.”
Establishing the Right Sleep Space
When it comes to precise methods, advice differs. A few professionals recommend using similar routines one would use to promote quality nighttime sleep: a silent space, a comfortable bed and maximum darkness as is feasible. Some advise that you should simply nap in a chair in whatever light is available – to prevent post-nap grogginess and to “protect” your bedroom as the environment your brain links with nighttime rest. “Falling asleep is notoriously difficult to will,” notes a sleep coach. “Without the urge to sleep, it becomes harder to get comfortable and practically tell yourself to nod off. There must be a natural inclination present to start the process to begin with. For me, it's possible to snooze in full light and awaken on my own without a timer, but what helps most folks is to anticipate a time that they’re naturally feeling a bit drowsy and then simply ease into sleep.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and if your choices are limited – for example, if attempting to grab a quick nap on a train or in a work pod – it's acceptable to use a few tools. “In my work with professional sportspeople, I recommend that they don’t get used to their own bed for naps, because they’re going to have|they will
