The Secret for a Flawless Nap: Timing, Where & for How Long?
Tune into plenty of self-improvement podcasters, and it’s easy to believe that napping is a secret weapon: rather than a sticking plaster following restless night, but a shortcut to improved recall, improved mood and possibly a faster 5k run time. Professional footballers swear by it – and so are musicians, fighters & media moguls. Yet, when you don't have a special sleep space or employment that allows daytime sleep, is it *truly* sufficient advantages to a quick nap for it to be worth the hassle? Can you find a dependable method to nod off promptly? And can you honestly promise you will arise feeling better, rather than worse?
Understanding Your Reasons for Napping
“There are three primary motivations for daytime sleep in the adult population,” notes an expert sleep and circadian science professor. “The first is known as make-up sleep, that is what happens following a lack of sleep the night before. The second is prophylactic napping, which involves anticipating a sleep deficit in the future, for example during graveyard shifts. Finally, there's “appetitive drive”, which basically comes down to wanting: you have an opportunity to nap during the day, and it's pleasant to nap.”
The initial step to do, so, is consider your reason for napping. “Napping can be truly beneficial when overnight rest is disturbed for reasons outside your control – for instance, when you are a new parent, or you’re recovering from illness or intense exercise,” explains a sleep specialist. “However, if you take a nap because your nighttime sleep is unstable or poor, that’s often an indicator your need for sleep is not where required. Under those circumstances, napping can become a contributing factor, instead of the fix. Use napping as a temporary measure to address immediate needs – the focus should still be a robust and regular sleep at night.”
The Optimal Snooze Time
This means that naps must not be sufficiently lengthy to disrupt your sleep at night, and ideally should not occur post-3 p.m. (based on when you go to bed in the evening). What duration is wise? Recommendations vary. In one of a prominent study regarding daytime sleep, space agency scientists noted that space travelers had improvements of over 50% in attentiveness plus a 34% rise in task performance following a nap of 26 minutes (technically, this included a six-minute nodding-off period). “My advice is setting an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – most people doze off in under ten minutes,” says a specialist. “There is plenty of recommendations about the ideal number of time, yet that often make people feel more stressed than anything – and the least helpful action you can do while aiming to fall asleep is to stress over it.”
If you plan to take an extended nap, avoid the 45 to 60 minute range that promotes sleep inertia, that disoriented sensation when you wake. “The science indicates it is preferable to opt for a longer nap of 60 to 90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” says the sleep scientist. “Three-quarters of an hour is long enough to send you into slow-wave sleep making it more likely to feel groggy when you wake up – while if you take it a bit longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you will probably to be completing a full cycle and are likely to get up feeling more refreshed. But if you’re sleeping for 90 minutes, it can influence the quality of your sleep that night.”
Establishing an Ideal Sleep Space
As for precise methods, advice differs. Some experts suggest using similar routines you use to encourage a good night’s sleep: a peaceful area, a cozy bed and maximum darkness as is feasible. Alternatively, experts propose that one could simply nap on a couch in the existing light happens to be around – to prevent that groggy feeling and to preserve your bedroom as the place you associate with *real* sleep. “Sleep is notoriously difficult to force,” says a sleep coach. “Lacking any sleepiness, it becomes harder to recline and essentially command yourself to nod off. There’s got to be some drive available to bring the sleep on in the first place. I can usually take a nap in broad daylight and awaken on my own alarm-free, however, what assists most folks is to anticipate a time that they’re naturally somewhat sleepy and just gently relax into it.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and if your choices are limited – such as, if attempting to grab some shut-eye on a train or in a soundproof office pod – there’s nothing wrong with bringing a few tools. “In my work with footballers, I recommend that they don’t get used to sleeping in their bed, since they’re going to have|they will