Tune into plenty of self-improvement gurus, making it easy to think that napping is a powerful tool: not just a band-aid following a bad night’s sleep, but a path to a better memory, a brighter outlook and possibly quicker running times. Professional athletes are all at it – along with concert pianists, fighters & high-profile executives. Yet, when you don't have a room for napping or a career that encourages daytime sleep, can there *honestly* enough benefits to a short sleep for it to be worth the hassle? Is there a reliable way to get to sleep quickly enough? And can you honestly promise you will get up feeling refreshed, not worse?
Understanding Your Drive to Snooze
“There are three key drivers for daytime sleep for many people,” notes an expert sleep and circadian science professor. “Firstly, there's known as compensatory napping, that is what happens when you’ve had poor sleep the previous night. Secondly, there's prophylactic napping, when you are preparing for insufficient sleep ahead, for example when working overnight shifts. The third reason is “hedonic napping”, which essentially boils down to desire: you get a moment to sleep in the afternoon, and it feels nice to do it.”
The initial step to consider, then, is consider your nap motivation. “Naps can be really helpful when nighttime sleep gets interrupted because of factors outside your control – such as, for a new parent, or recovering from illness or intense exercise,” states a sleep expert. “However, if you’re napping because your nighttime sleep seems unreliable or poor, that’s often a signal your need for sleep is not at the level it should be. In those cases, napping can become a contributing factor, instead of the fix. Employ naps for brief periods for short-term problems – the priority must always be a robust and regular overnight rest.”
The Optimal Snooze Time
This implies that daytime sleep ought not to be long enough to affect your nighttime sleep, and best should not occur after about 3pm (based on when you retire at night). What's a reasonable length? Guidelines are mixed. From a prominent study on the subject, experts found that crew members experienced a boost of up to 54% in vigilance plus a 34% rise in task performance following a nap of 26 minutes (technically, this counted a six-minute long sleep onset time). “My advice is setting an alarm for half an hour or less – most people doze off quickly,” notes a specialist. “You'll find much guidance out there about the ideal number of minutes, yet that often lead individuals to become more anxious than anything – and the most counterproductive thing you can possibly do while aiming to nod off is to stress over it.”
Should you decide to sleep for longer, steer clear of the 45 to 60 minute range that induces that sluggish feeling, that spaced-out feeling when you wake. “Studies suggests it's more effective to opt for an extended nap lasting 60-90 minutes than a medium-length one,” explains the professor. “45 minutes is sufficient to put you into deep sleep and it is more probable to feel disoriented when you wake up – while if you take it a little longer to a full sleep cycle, you’re likely to be on the end of a sleep cycle and should awaken feeling more refreshed. But if you're dozing for a long period, it can influence your sleep later that night.”
Creating the Right Sleep Space
Regarding specific techniques, recommendations vary. Some experts propose using similar routines you’d use to encourage quality nighttime sleep: a quiet room, a comfortable bed and minimal light as you can manage. Others suggest that you should simply nap on a couch in whatever light is available – to prevent sleep inertia and to maintain your bed as the place your brain links with nighttime rest. “Napping is notoriously difficult to will,” explains an expert. “Lacking any sleepiness, it is tougher to recline and practically instruct yourself to nod off. You need some drive there to bring the sleep on to begin with. For me, it's possible to nap in full light and naturally wake up without an alarm, however, what assists a lot of people is to anticipate an instance that they’re naturally feeling a bit drowsy and just gently ease into sleep.”
Experimentation is key, and should you have few options – for instance, if you’re trying to squeeze in a quick nap while traveling or in a work pod – it's acceptable to employ sleep aids. “Coaching professional sportspeople, I suggest that they not rely on their own bed for naps, as they’re going to have|they will
