Hear a few self-improvement experts, making it easy to believe that dozing is a powerful tool: not just a band-aid following a bad night’s sleep, but a shortcut towards enhanced cognition, better spirits and possibly a faster 5k run time. Professional athletes do it regularly – along with professional piano players, UFC champions & business leaders. However, if you lack a special sleep space or a job that permits daytime sleep, can there *honestly* enough benefits to a burst of shut-eye for it to be worth the kerfuffle? Does there exist a surefire technique to get to sleep quickly enough? Plus, is it possible to really guarantee you will arise feeling refreshed, instead of groggy?
Identifying Your Reasons for Napping
“There are three key drivers for taking a nap for many people,” explains an expert circadian rhythm professor. “Firstly, there's known as make-up sleep, which is what you do after experiencing insufficient sleep the previous night. Another is prophylactic napping, where you are pre-empting a sleep deficit coming up, such as if you’re working on night shifts. The third is called “hedonic napping”, which basically boils down to desire: you get a moment to sleep during the day, and it's pleasant to indulge.”
The initial step to consider, so, is to examine your nap motivation. “Daytime sleep can be genuinely useful when overnight rest is disturbed due to causes you cannot change – for example, if you’re caring for an infant, or recovering from illness or intense exercise,” explains a sleep expert. “Yet when you’re napping as your sleep at night seems unreliable or unreliable, that is frequently a signal your sleep drive is not as strong as it should be. In those cases, napping can become part of the problem, not the solution. Use napping for brief periods for temporary issues – the main goal ought to remain a solid and consistent sleep at night.”
The Optimal Snooze Time
This implies that daytime sleep ought not to be too extended to affect your sleep at night, and ideally are not recommended post-3 p.m. (contingent on when you retire in the evening). What duration is wise? Recommendations vary. From the most referenced research on the subject, researchers at Nasa found that space travelers had improvements of over 50% in alertness and a 34% increase in task performance after a 26-minute nap (technically, this included a six-minute falling asleep phase). “I’d suggest setting a timer for 20 to 30 minutes – the majority fall asleep in under ten minutes,” explains a specialist. “There is plenty of advice around concerning the perfect length of minutes, yet that often cause people to feel more stressed than anything – and the most counterproductive thing one can do when attempting to get to sleep is to be anxious.”
Should you decide to nap for a longer period, bypass the 45-60 minute window that promotes sleep inertia, that foggy state when you awaken. “Studies indicates it is preferable to opt for a lengthier snooze of one to one and a half hours than a medium-length one,” explains the expert. “45 minutes is sufficient to send you into deep sleep and you’re more likely to feel disoriented when you get up – whereas if you nap for slightly longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you will probably to be completing a full cycle and will probably awaken feeling more alert. However, if you're dozing for 90 minutes, it will affect your sleep later that night.”
Establishing an Ideal Snooze Setting
When it comes to precise methods, recommendations vary. A few professionals suggest adopting similar routines you’d use to foster a good night’s sleep: a peaceful area, a supportive surface and minimal light as possible. Alternatively, experts propose that you should merely snooze in a chair in the existing light is available – to avoid post-nap grogginess and to “protect” your sleeping quarters as the space your brain links with proper sleep. “Falling asleep is quite challenging to command,” explains a sleep coach. “Lacking any drowsiness, it is more challenging to lie down and essentially tell yourself to nod off. There must be a natural inclination present to start the process initially. I can usually snooze in broad daylight and awaken on my own alarm-free, though, what aids a lot of people is to anticipate a moment where they feel naturally somewhat sleepy and then simply relax into it.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and when options are scarce – for example, if attempting to fit in 40 winks during a commute or in a work pod – it is perfectly fine to employ some accessories. “In my work with professional sportspeople, I suggest that they don’t get used to napping in bed, because they’re going to have|they will
