Tune into enough self-improvement podcasters, making it simple to convince yourself that dozing is a superpower: not just a sticking plaster after poor sleep, but a path towards a better memory, improved mood and perhaps a faster 5k run time. Professional athletes are all at it – along with musicians, mixed martial artists and business leaders. Yet, when you lack a special sleep space or employment that allows regular snoozing, can there *honestly* enough benefits to a burst of shut-eye to justify the kerfuffle? Is there a dependable method to nod off promptly? And can you truly ensure you will get up feeling refreshed, rather than worse?
Identifying The Reasons for Napping
“There are three key drivers for daytime sleep for many people,” notes a professor of sleep and circadian science researcher. “One is termed recovery napping, essentially what happens after experiencing a lack of sleep overnight. Secondly, there's prophylactic napping, when you are preparing for a sleep deficit ahead, such as when working on night shifts. The third is called “hedonic napping”, which essentially boils down to desire: you get an opportunity to doze in the daytime, and it's pleasant to indulge.”
The initial step to consider, therefore, is to examine your nap motivation. “Napping can be truly beneficial when night sleeping is being disrupted due to causes you cannot change – for example, for a parent of a newborn, or if you are healing after being ill or intense exercise,” states a sleep specialist. “Yet when you nap since your night sleep is unstable or poor, that can be a signal your sleep drive is not where required. In those cases, daytime sleep can turn into part of the problem, instead of the fix. Employ naps for brief periods for short-term problems – the main goal must always be a robust and regular night’s sleep.”
The Ideal Nap Length
This means that daytime sleep shouldn’t be too extended to disrupt your sleep at night, and best shouldn’t take place after about 3pm (contingent on what time you sleep at night). What duration is wise? Advice differs. Among a prominent study regarding daytime sleep, space agency scientists discovered that crew members showed improvements of over 50% in attentiveness and a 34% increase in task performance post a 26-minute snooze (in detail, this included a six-minute nodding-off period). “I’d suggest using an alarm for 20-30 minutes – the majority fall asleep in under ten minutes,” says a sleep expert. “There’s a lot of recommendations about the ideal number of minutes, however, that can lead individuals to become more stressed than anything else – and the most counterproductive thing one can do when trying to fall asleep is worry about it.”
Should you decide to take an extended nap, steer clear of the 45-60 minute window that promotes sleep grogginess, that spaced-out feeling when you wake. “The science indicates it's more effective to have an extended nap of one to one and a half hours compared to a medium-length nap,” notes the professor. “Three-quarters of an hour is long enough to plunge you into a deep sleep stage making it more likely to feel sluggish when you get up – whereas if you nap for a little longer to a full sleep cycle, you will probably to be completing a natural sleep cycle and will probably get up feeling more refreshed. Though if you nap for a long period, it will affect the quality of your sleep later that night.”
Creating an Ideal Sleep Space
Regarding specific techniques, recommendations vary. Certain specialists recommend adopting the same protocol one would use to encourage restful sleep: a quiet room, a supportive surface and maximum darkness as possible. Alternatively, experts propose that you should simply nap in a chair with ambient lighting happens to be around – to prevent post-nap grogginess and to preserve your bed as the place your brain links with proper sleep. “Sleep is notoriously difficult to will,” explains a specialist. “Lacking any drowsiness, it is tougher to recline and practically command yourself to nod off. You need a natural inclination present to bring the sleep on in the first place. Personally, I can often nap in full light and awaken on my own without an alarm, but what helps most folks is to anticipate a moment when they are naturally feeling a bit drowsy and calmly relax into it.”
It’s worth experimenting, and should you have few options – for instance, if attempting to squeeze in some shut-eye on a train or in a soundproof office pod – it is perfectly fine to use sleep aids. “In my work with footballers, I advise that they avoid becoming accustomed to sleeping in their bed, as they’re going to have|they will
