The Key to a Perfect Nap: Timing, Where & for How Long?
Tune into plenty of self-improvement podcasters, and you'll be tempting to convince yourself that dozing is a superpower: rather than a band-aid after poor sleep, but a shortcut to a better memory, a brighter outlook and maybe improved athletic performance. Premier League soccer players are all at it – along with concert pianists, UFC champions & business leaders. But if you don't have a room for napping or a career that allows daytime sleep, is it *truly* worthwhile perks to a quick nap to merit the hassle? Can you find a surefire technique to get to sleep quickly enough? Plus, is it possible to honestly promise you will get up feeling better, instead of groggy?
Understanding The Nap Motivation
“Experts note three key drivers for taking a nap for many people,” notes a leading sleep and circadian science specialist. “The first is termed compensatory napping, that is what happens following a lack of sleep the night before. The second is pre-emptive sleep, which involves anticipating a sleep deficit coming up, such as when working on night shifts. The third reason is “hedonic napping”, which basically comes down to wanting: you have an opportunity to doze in the daytime, and it's enjoyable to nap.”
The primary task to consider, therefore, is to think about your nap motivation. “Napping can be really helpful when night sleeping is disturbed due to causes beyond your control – for example, when you are a parent of a newborn, or if you are healing from sickness or strenuous activity,” states a sleep physiologist. “Yet when you’re napping as your night sleep seems unreliable or broken, that’s often a signal your body's sleep pressure is not where it needs to be. In those cases, naps can become a contributing factor, instead of the fix. Utilize daytime sleep for brief periods to address immediate needs – the focus ought to remain a strong and predictable sleep at night.”
The Ideal Nap Duration
Therefore that daytime sleep must not be too extended to affect your overnight rest, and preferably are not recommended after about 3pm (depending on what time you go to bed in the evening). How long is sensible? Advice differs. In one of the most-cited studies about napping, space agency scientists noted that astronauts showed improvements of over 50% in alertness plus a 34% rise in cognitive performance after a 26-minute nap (in detail, this included a six-minute long nodding-off period). “I’d suggest setting a timer for 20 to 30 minutes – the majority are asleep quickly,” notes a sleep expert. “There is plenty of recommendations concerning the optimal amount for sleeping, but that tends to lead individuals to become more worried than anything else – and the least helpful action you can possibly do while aiming to get to sleep is worry about it.”
Should you decide to take an extended nap, steer clear of the 45-60 minute window that induces that sluggish feeling, that spaced-out feeling upon waking. “Studies would say it's more effective to opt for an extended nap lasting 60-90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” explains the professor. “Forty-five minutes is sufficient to plunge you into slow-wave sleep and you’re more likely to feel disoriented when you wake up – whereas 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 wake up feeling more rejuvenated. But if you nap for a long period, it will affect the quality of your sleep in the evening.”
Finding an Ideal Nap Environment
As for precise methods, advice differs. A few professionals propose employing the same protocol you’d use to foster quality nighttime sleep: a peaceful area, a cozy bed and maximum darkness as you can manage. Alternatively, experts propose that one could just doze on a couch in whatever light happens to be around – to prevent that groggy feeling and to preserve your sleeping quarters as the place you associate with *real* sleep. “Falling asleep is quite challenging to command,” notes an expert. “Without any sleepiness, it is more challenging to lie down and practically tell yourself to fall asleep. You need some drive available to start the process to begin with. For me, it's possible to nap in full light and wake up naturally without an alarm, but what helps many individuals is to look for an instance when they are naturally feeling a bit drowsy and calmly ease into sleep.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and when your choices are limited – for instance, if attempting to fit in a quick nap on a train or in a work pod – there’s nothing wrong to employ a few tools. “In my work with footballers, I suggest that they avoid becoming accustomed to napping in bed, as they’re going to have|they will
