Listen to enough performance podcasters, and it’s simple to convince yourself that dozing is a secret weapon: not just a quick fix after poor sleep, but a path to enhanced cognition, better spirits and perhaps quicker running times. Premier League soccer players swear by it – along with musicians, UFC champions & media moguls. Yet, when you lack a dedicated nap-room or a career that permits daytime sleep, are there *really* enough benefits to a quick nap for it to be worth the kerfuffle? Is there a dependable method to get to sleep quickly enough? Furthermore, can you honestly promise you’ll wake up feeling refreshed, instead of groggy?
Identifying Your Nap Motivation
“There are three key drivers for daytime sleep for many people,” says a professor of sleep and circadian science specialist. “One is what we call make-up sleep, which is the action you take when you’ve had poor sleep overnight. Another is pre-emptive sleep, where you are preparing for a sleep deficit coming up, for instance if you’re working on night shifts. The third is called “appetitive drive”, which essentially is about desire: there is an opportunity to sleep during the day, and it's pleasant to nap.”
The first thing to undertake, so, is to examine your reason for napping. “Napping can be really helpful when night sleeping is disturbed for reasons you cannot change – for example, if you’re caring for an infant, or if you are healing from sickness or strenuous activity,” says a sleep physiologist. “But if you take a nap as your night sleep seems unreliable or broken, that can be a signal your need for sleep is not as strong as required. Under those circumstances, naps can become part of the problem, not the solution. Employ naps for brief periods to address immediate needs – the priority ought to remain a solid and consistent sleep at night.”
The Perfect Snooze Time
Therefore that naps must not be sufficiently lengthy to disrupt your nighttime sleep, and preferably should not occur in the late afternoon (depending on when you go to bed in the evening). What's a reasonable length? Guidelines are mixed. In one of the most referenced research about napping, experts discovered that crew members had a boost of up to 54% in alertness plus a 34% rise in performance following a nap of 26 minutes (technically, this involved an initial six-minute sleep onset time). “I’d suggest using an alarm for 20-30 minutes – most people are asleep within 10 minutes,” says a sleep coach. “You'll find much advice around concerning the perfect length of time, yet that often lead individuals to become more stressed than anything else – and the least helpful action you can do when trying to nod off is to be anxious.”
If you’re going to sleep for longer, steer clear of the 45 to 60 minute range that promotes sleep grogginess, that disoriented sensation upon waking. “Research would say it's more effective to take a lengthier snooze lasting 60-90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” explains the professor. “Forty-five minutes is enough time to send you into deep sleep and you’re more likely to feel groggy upon awakening – while if you nap for a little longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you’re likely to be completing a natural sleep cycle and should awaken feeling more refreshed. Though if you’re sleeping for a long period, it can influence the quality of your sleep later that night.”
Finding an Ideal Snooze Setting
When it comes to exact methodologies, recommendations vary. Some experts recommend adopting comparable habits you’d use to promote restful sleep: a silent space, a comfortable bed and as much darkness as is feasible. Some advise that one could merely snooze in a chair in whatever light is present – both to discourage that groggy feeling and to maintain your bed as the space your mind associates with *real* sleep. “Napping is something really tricky to command,” notes a sleep coach. “Lacking any drowsiness, it is tougher to recline and essentially tell yourself to fall asleep. There must be some drive present to initiate sleep to begin with. For me, it's possible to snooze during the day and awaken on my own without an alarm, though, what aids many individuals is to look for a moment that they’re naturally somewhat sleepy and then simply relax into it.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and when 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. “Coaching elite athletes, I suggest that they avoid becoming accustomed to napping in bed, since they’re going to have|they will
