Listen to enough self-improvement podcasters, and it’s simple to believe that a nap is a superpower: rather than a band-aid after poor sleep, but a path towards enhanced cognition, better spirits and perhaps a faster 5k run time. Elite athletes do it regularly – and so are professional piano players, fighters and high-profile executives. However, if you lack a dedicated nap-room or employment that permits frequent naps, is it *truly* enough benefits to a burst of shut-eye to justify the effort? Does there exist a reliable way to get to sleep quickly enough? Furthermore, can you really guarantee you will arise feeling better, rather than worse?
Identifying Your Drive to Snooze
“Experts note three key drivers for daytime sleep for many people,” explains a leading sleep and circadian science professor. “One is what we call recovery napping, which is what you do following insufficient sleep the night before. Secondly, there's preparatory napping, where you are preparing for a sleep deficit coming up, for instance during on night shifts. The third reason is “appetitive drive”, which simply is about desire: there is an opportunity to doze in the daytime, and it feels nice to do it.”
The initial step to undertake, then, is to examine why you want to nap. “Naps can be genuinely useful when nighttime sleep is being disrupted because of factors beyond your control – such as, if you’re a new parent, or if you are healing from illness or strenuous activity,” states a sleep specialist. “But if you’re napping since your nighttime sleep seems unreliable or poor, that is frequently an indicator your need for sleep is not at the level it needs to be. In such situations, naps can become part of the problem, instead of the fix. Use napping as a short-term solution to address immediate needs – the priority ought to remain a strong and predictable overnight rest.”
The Perfect Nap Duration
This means that naps shouldn’t be too extended to affect your overnight rest, and ideally should not occur in the late afternoon (based on the time you go to bed at night). How long is sensible? Guidelines are mixed. In one of the most-cited studies regarding daytime sleep, researchers at Nasa discovered that crew members had improvements of over 50% in alertness and a 34% boost in task performance post a 26-minute snooze (technically, this counted a six-minute long nodding-off period). “I’d suggest setting a timer for half an hour or less – most people doze off quickly,” notes a sleep coach. “There is plenty of guidance out there about the ideal number of minutes, but that tends to cause people to feel more worried than anything else – and the most counterproductive thing one can do when trying to nod off is to stress over it.”
Should you decide to nap for a longer period, steer clear of the 45 to 60 minute range that induces sleep grogginess, that spaced-out feeling when you awaken. “The science would say it is preferable to take an extended nap of 60 to 90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” explains the expert. “45 minutes is sufficient to send you into a deep sleep stage and it is more probable to feel groggy upon awakening – while if you take it a bit longer to a full sleep cycle, you’re likely to be completing a natural sleep cycle and are likely to get up feeling more rejuvenated. Though if you nap for an hour and a half, it can influence the quality of your sleep in the evening.”
Establishing the Perfect Sleep Space
Regarding precise methods, suggestions are diverse. Certain specialists propose adopting similar routines you’d use to foster quality nighttime sleep: a quiet room, a comfortable bed and maximum darkness as possible. Alternatively, experts propose that you should merely snooze on a couch with ambient lighting is present – both to discourage sleep inertia and to maintain your sleeping quarters as the environment your mind associates with proper sleep. “Sleep is quite challenging to force,” notes a sleep coach. “If you don’t have the urge to sleep, it becomes harder to recline and practically tell yourself to nod off. There must be some sleep pressure present to initiate sleep initially. I can usually take a nap in full light and naturally wake up without a timer, but what helps many individuals is to wait for a time that they’re naturally somewhat sleepy and then simply relax into it.”
It’s worth experimenting, and when you have few options – for instance, if you’re trying to fit in a quick nap on a train or at the office – it's acceptable to employ a few tools. “When I’m working with elite athletes, I recommend that they not rely on napping in bed, as they’re going to have|they will
