Tune into enough performance podcasters, and it’s simple to convince yourself that a nap is a powerful tool: not just a quick fix following poor sleep, but a path to a better memory, better spirits and possibly quicker running times. Elite footballers swear by it – and so are professional piano players, UFC champions & business leaders. However, if you lack a room for napping or a career that encourages daytime sleep, can there *honestly* worthwhile perks to a burst of shut-eye to justify the effort? Does there exist a surefire technique to get to sleep quickly enough? Furthermore, can you honestly promise you’ll wake up feeling better, instead of groggy?
Identifying The Drive to Snooze
“We can identify three main reasons for daytime sleep among most adults,” explains a professor of circadian rhythm researcher. “One is what we call make-up sleep, that is what happens following insufficient sleep the night before. The second is prophylactic napping, when you are anticipating sleep loss coming up, such as if you’re working overnight shifts. The third reason is “hedonic napping”, which simply boils down to desire: you get a chance to doze during the day, and it's enjoyable to do it.”
The initial step to consider, so, is to examine your reason for napping. “Naps can be truly beneficial when nighttime sleep is being disrupted due to causes beyond your control – for example, if you’re caring for an infant, or recovering from sickness or intense exercise,” says a sleep physiologist. “However, if you take a nap because your nighttime sleep is unstable or poor, that can be an indicator your need for sleep is not as strong as it should be. In those cases, naps can become a contributing factor, rather than the answer. Use napping as a short-term solution to address immediate needs – the main goal should still be a strong and predictable sleep at night.”
The Optimal Nap Duration
This means that daytime sleep ought not to be long enough to interfere with your overnight rest, and ideally are not recommended in the late afternoon (contingent on what time you retire in the evening). What duration is wise? Recommendations vary. From a prominent study on the subject, experts noted that crew members experienced improvements of over 50% in vigilance plus a 34% rise in performance following a nap of 26 minutes (technically, this counted a six-minute sleep onset time). “My advice is setting a timer for 20 to 30 minutes – the majority fall asleep in under ten minutes,” notes a specialist. “There’s a lot of guidance out there concerning the ideal number for sleeping, but that tends to cause people to feel more anxious than anything else – and the worst thing you can do when attempting to fall asleep is to be anxious.”
Should you decide to sleep for longer, avoid the period between 45 and 60 minutes that encourages that sluggish feeling, that spaced-out feeling when you awaken. “The science suggests it’s better to have a lengthier snooze of one to one and a half hours compared to a medium-length nap,” explains the expert. “45 minutes is long enough to plunge you into slow-wave sleep and you’re more likely to feel disoriented when you get up – however, if you extend it a bit longer to an hour or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to be completing a natural sleep cycle and will probably wake up feeling more rejuvenated. However, if you’re sleeping for an hour and a half, it can influence how you sleep in the evening.”
Creating an Ideal Nap Environment
As for exact methodologies, advice differs. A few professionals propose employing similar routines you use to foster restful sleep: a quiet room, a supportive surface and as much darkness as is feasible. Others suggest that you should just doze in a chair in the existing light is available – both to discourage that groggy feeling and to maintain your bed as the space you associate with *real* sleep. “Napping is something really tricky to command,” says an expert. “Without the urge to sleep, it becomes harder to lie down and practically tell yourself to nod off. There’s got to be a natural inclination there to initiate sleep initially. Personally, I can often snooze in full light and awaken on my own without an alarm, but what helps a lot of people is to anticipate a moment when they are naturally feeling a bit drowsy and just gently relax into it.”
It’s worth experimenting, and should options are scarce – for instance, if attempting to squeeze in a quick nap while traveling or in a work pod – it is perfectly fine with bringing some accessories. “Coaching elite athletes, I recommend that they don’t get used to napping in bed, because they’re going to have|they will
