Hear plenty of performance gurus, and you'll be tempting to think that dozing is a powerful tool: more than a band-aid following poor sleep, but a path towards a better memory, a brighter outlook and perhaps a faster 5k run time. Professional footballers swear by it – as do concert pianists, mixed martial artists and high-profile executives. Yet, when you don't have a special sleep space or employment that allows regular snoozing, are there *really* worthwhile perks to a burst of shut-eye to justify the hassle? Can you find a dependable method to get to sleep quickly enough? Plus, is it possible to honestly promise you will arise feeling improved, instead of groggy?
Exploring The Reasons for Napping
“Experts note three main reasons for napping among most adults,” says an expert circadian rhythm professor. “The first is what we call make-up sleep, that is what you do when you’ve had poor sleep the night before. The second is prophylactic napping, which involves anticipating a sleep deficit in the future, such as when working overnight shifts. The third reason is “appetitive drive”, which essentially comes down to the wish: you have a moment to doze during the day, and it feels nice to indulge.”
The primary task to undertake, then, is to think about your reason for napping. “Daytime sleep can be really helpful when overnight rest is disturbed because of factors beyond your control – such as, when you are a parent of a newborn, or you’re recovering from illness or intense exercise,” explains a sleep physiologist. “However, if you nap as your night sleep is unstable or poor, that can be an indicator your need for sleep is not at the level it needs to be. In those cases, naps can become a contributing factor, not the solution. Employ naps as a short-term solution to address immediate needs – the focus ought to remain a strong and predictable night’s sleep.”
The Ideal Snooze Time
This implies that napping shouldn’t be long enough to disrupt your nighttime sleep, and ideally are not recommended in the late afternoon (depending on the time you go to bed at night). How long is sensible? Guidelines are mixed. From a prominent study on the subject, space agency scientists noted that crew members had improvements of over 50% in vigilance and a 34% increase in task performance after a 26-minute nap (to be precise, this counted a six-minute long nodding-off period). “I’d suggest setting a timer for 20-30 minutes – many individuals fall asleep within 10 minutes,” says a sleep expert. “There is plenty of advice around about the ideal number of minutes, but that tends to cause people to feel more stressed above all – and the most counterproductive thing you can possibly do while aiming to fall asleep is to stress over it.”
Should you decide to sleep for longer, steer clear of the 45-60 minute window that induces sleep inertia, that foggy state when you wake. “Studies would say it is preferable to opt for a longer nap of one to one and a half hours compared to a medium-length nap,” explains the sleep scientist. “Forty-five minutes is sufficient to send you into a deep sleep stage and it is more probable to feel sluggish when you get up – whereas if you nap for slightly longer to a full sleep cycle, you will probably to finish a full cycle and are likely to awaken feeling more refreshed. However, if you nap for an hour and a half, it may impact how you sleep in the evening.”
Establishing an Ideal Snooze Setting
Regarding precise methods, suggestions are diverse. Certain specialists suggest adopting the same protocol you use to foster a good night’s sleep: a quiet room, a comfortable bed and as much darkness as is feasible. Others suggest that you should just doze on the sofa in the existing light is available – to avoid sleep inertia and to preserve your bedroom as the environment your mind associates with proper sleep. “Sleep is notoriously difficult to force,” notes an expert. “Without any sleepiness, it is more challenging to get comfortable and basically tell yourself to fall asleep. You need some sleep pressure there to initiate sleep in the first place. I can usually snooze in full light and naturally wake up alarm-free, but what helps a lot of people is to look for an instance when they are naturally feeling a bit drowsy and calmly relax into it.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and should your choices are limited – for example, if you’re trying to squeeze in some shut-eye while traveling or in a soundproof office pod – it is perfectly fine to use some accessories. “In my work with elite athletes, I suggest that they avoid becoming accustomed to napping in bed, as they’re going to have|they will
