Hear enough self-improvement experts, and it’s tempting to think that a nap is a powerful tool: more than a band-aid after a bad night’s sleep, but a shortcut towards a better memory, a brighter outlook and maybe improved athletic performance. Premier League footballers do it regularly – as do concert pianists, UFC champions and high-profile executives. But if you don't have a dedicated nap-room or employment that permits frequent naps, are there *really* enough benefits to a short sleep for it to be worth the effort? Is there a surefire technique to get to sleep quickly enough? And can you honestly promise you will arise feeling refreshed, instead of groggy?
Understanding The Drive to Snooze
“We can identify three key drivers for daytime sleep in the adult population,” says an expert circadian rhythm researcher. “Firstly, there's what we call compensatory napping, that is the action you take after experiencing a lack of sleep overnight. Secondly, there's prophylactic napping, where you are pre-empting sleep loss coming up, for instance if you’re working overnight shifts. Finally, there's “appetitive drive”, which simply comes down to the wish: there is an opportunity to sleep in the afternoon, and it's pleasant to nap.”
The first thing to consider, so, is to examine your reason for napping. “Napping can be genuinely useful when night sleeping is being disrupted for reasons beyond your control – for example, if you’re caring for an infant, or if you are healing from sickness or strenuous activity,” states a sleep expert. “But if you nap because your sleep at night seems unreliable or unreliable, that can be a signal your sleep drive is not at the level it should be. In such situations, naps can become part of the problem, not the solution. Utilize daytime sleep as a short-term solution for short-term problems – the focus must always be a robust and regular night’s sleep.”
The Ideal Nap Duration
This implies that daytime sleep shouldn’t be long enough to interfere with your nighttime sleep, and ideally shouldn’t take place post-3 p.m. (based on what time you sleep in the evening). What's a reasonable length? Recommendations vary. From the most referenced research regarding daytime sleep, space agency scientists noted that astronauts had up to a 54% increase in vigilance plus a 34% rise in performance after a 26-minute nap (in detail, this included an initial six-minute nodding-off period). “I’d suggest using an alarm for half an hour or less – most people doze off quickly,” says a sleep coach. “There’s a lot of advice around regarding the perfect length of time, but that tends to make people feel more stressed than anything else – and the most counterproductive thing you can possibly do while aiming to fall asleep is worry about it.”
Should you decide to nap for a longer period, avoid the period between 45 and 60 minutes that encourages that sluggish feeling, that spaced-out feeling when you wake. “The science indicates it’s better to opt for a lengthier snooze of 60 to 90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” notes the professor. “Forty-five minutes is long enough to send you into slow-wave sleep and it is more probable to feel groggy when you wake up – whereas if you nap for slightly longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you’re likely to be on the end a full cycle and should get up feeling more rejuvenated. Though if you nap for an hour and a half, it may impact your sleep later that night.”
Finding the Right Sleep Space
Regarding precise methods, advice differs. A few professionals suggest employing the same protocol one would use to foster a good night’s sleep: a silent space, a supportive surface and maximum darkness as is feasible. Others suggest that you should merely snooze on a couch in whatever light happens to be around – to prevent post-nap grogginess and to maintain your sleeping quarters as the place you associate with nighttime rest. “Sleep is quite challenging to will,” says an expert. “If you don’t have the urge to sleep, it becomes harder to lie down and basically tell yourself to nod off. There’s got to be some sleep pressure available to bring the sleep on to begin with. For me, it's possible to snooze in full light and wake up naturally alarm-free, but what helps most folks is to wait for a time where they feel naturally slightly tired and just gently ease into sleep.”
Experimentation is key, and when options are scarce – such as, if attempting to squeeze in 40 winks during a commute or in a work pod – there’s nothing wrong to employ sleep aids. “In my work with footballers, I advise that they avoid becoming accustomed to sleeping in their bed, since they’re going to have|they will
