Tune into plenty of performance podcasters, and you'll be tempting to think that napping is a secret weapon: not just a sticking plaster following a bad night’s sleep, but a shortcut towards a better memory, a brighter outlook and maybe improved athletic performance. Professional soccer players swear by it – along with musicians, fighters & business leaders. However, if you lack a dedicated nap-room or a job that allows regular snoozing, are there *really* enough benefits to a short sleep to justify the effort? Can you find a dependable method to get to sleep quickly enough? And can you truly ensure you’ll wake up feeling improved, not worse?
Understanding The Drive to Snooze
“We can identify three key drivers for daytime sleep for many people,” notes an expert circadian rhythm specialist. “Firstly, there's termed make-up sleep, that is what you do when you’ve had insufficient sleep the previous night. Another is preparatory napping, where you are anticipating sleep loss coming up, such as during graveyard shifts. The third reason is “hedonic napping”, which essentially is about desire: you have a moment to doze in the afternoon, and it's pleasant to do it.”
The primary task to undertake, so, is to think about your reason for napping. “Naps can be genuinely useful when night sleeping is disturbed due to causes beyond your control – for instance, if you’re a new parent, or you’re recovering from illness or heavy physical exertion,” says a sleep expert. “However, if you’re napping as your night sleep feels fragile or broken, that’s often a sign your body's sleep pressure is not at the level it needs to be. In such situations, daytime sleep can turn into part of the issue, instead of the fix. Use napping as a short-term solution for short-term problems – the main goal ought to remain a robust and regular night’s sleep.”
The Ideal Nap Length
This means that napping must not be too extended to interfere with your sleep at night, and best shouldn’t take place post-3 p.m. (depending on when you retire in the evening). What's a reasonable length? Advice differs. In one of the most-cited studies on the subject, experts found that space travelers experienced a boost of up to 54% in alertness plus a 34% rise in task performance post a 26-minute snooze (to be precise, this involved a six-minute nodding-off period). “I recommend setting an alarm for half an hour or less – most people fall asleep within 10 minutes,” says a sleep expert. “There is plenty of advice around concerning the optimal amount of minutes, but that tends to cause people to feel more anxious than anything – and the least helpful action you can possibly do when trying to nod off is to be anxious.”
If you plan to nap for a longer period, bypass the 45-60 minute window that induces sleep grogginess, that disoriented sensation when you awaken. “The science would say it’s better to opt for a lengthier snooze of 60 to 90 minutes than a medium-length one,” says the professor. “Three-quarters of an hour is enough time to plunge you into a deep sleep stage and you’re more likely to feel groggy when you get up – while if you take it slightly longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you will probably to be on the end a full cycle and will probably awaken feeling more rejuvenated. But if you’re sleeping for a long period, it may impact the quality of your sleep that night.”
Establishing an Ideal Snooze Setting
As for specific techniques, recommendations vary. Some experts propose employing comparable habits one would use to promote a good night’s sleep: a silent space, a supportive surface and minimal light as possible. Alternatively, experts propose that you should simply nap in a chair in the existing light is available – both to discourage post-nap grogginess and to preserve your bed as the environment your mind associates with nighttime rest. “Sleep is notoriously difficult to command,” says a sleep coach. “If you don’t have the urge to sleep, it is more challenging to recline and essentially tell yourself to nod off. There must be some drive available to initiate sleep to begin with. Personally, I can often snooze in full light and wake up naturally without an alarm, however, what assists many individuals is to anticipate a moment where they feel naturally feeling a bit drowsy and calmly allow sleep to come.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and if your choices are limited – for example, when aiming to grab 40 winks while traveling or in a work pod – it is perfectly fine to use some accessories. “When I’m working with footballers, I recommend that they not rely on napping in bed, because they’re going to have|they will
