Tune into a few performance gurus, and you'll be tempting to think that dozing is a powerful tool: rather than a quick fix after restless night, but a route towards a better memory, improved mood and possibly quicker running times. Elite soccer players swear by it – along with concert pianists, fighters and high-profile executives. However, if you lack a room for napping or employment that permits frequent naps, are there *really* enough benefits to a quick nap to justify the effort? Does there exist a dependable method to get to sleep quickly enough? Plus, is it possible to really guarantee you’ll wake up feeling improved, instead of groggy?
Understanding The Reasons for Napping
“There are three key drivers for daytime sleep in the adult population,” notes a professor of circadian rhythm professor. “Firstly, there's known as recovery napping, which is the action you take when you’ve had poor sleep overnight. Another is pre-emptive sleep, when you are anticipating insufficient sleep in the future, such as when working overnight shifts. The third is called “appetitive drive”, which essentially is about the wish: there is a moment to sleep in the afternoon, and it's pleasant to nap.”
The first thing to consider, so, is consider why you want to nap. “Daytime sleep can be really helpful when overnight rest gets interrupted due to causes outside your control – such as, for a new parent, or you’re recovering from illness or heavy physical exertion,” states a sleep physiologist. “Yet when you take a nap because your sleep at night feels fragile or broken, that is frequently an indicator your sleep drive is not where required. In those cases, napping can become part of the issue, rather than the answer. Use napping for brief periods for temporary issues – the main goal must always be a robust and regular overnight rest.”
The Perfect Snooze Time
This implies that naps must not be sufficiently lengthy to affect your overnight rest, and preferably shouldn’t take place in the late afternoon (depending on what time you go to bed in the evening). What duration is wise? Recommendations vary. Among a prominent study on the subject, researchers at Nasa found that space travelers experienced up to a 54% increase in vigilance plus a 34% rise in task performance following a nap of 26 minutes (to be precise, this counted a six-minute long falling asleep phase). “I’d suggest setting an alarm for 20-30 minutes – the majority fall asleep within 10 minutes,” says a sleep coach. “You'll find much guidance out there concerning the perfect length for sleeping, but that tends to make people feel more worried than anything – and the worst thing one can do when trying to fall asleep is worry about it.”
If you’re going to nap for a longer period, bypass the 45 to 60 minute range that encourages that sluggish feeling, that foggy state upon waking. “Research indicates it is preferable to opt for an extended nap of one to one and a half hours rather than a mid-length nap,” explains the expert. “Forty-five minutes is sufficient to put you into slow-wave sleep and it is more probable to feel sluggish upon awakening – while if you take it slightly longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you will probably to be completing of a sleep cycle and should awaken feeling more alert. But if you're dozing for a long period, it may impact your sleep in the evening.”
Finding the Right Snooze Setting
When it comes to specific techniques, recommendations vary. Some experts recommend adopting the same protocol you’d use to foster restful sleep: a quiet room, a cozy bed and maximum darkness as you can manage. Some advise that it's fine to simply nap on the sofa in the existing light happens to be around – to avoid that groggy feeling and to “protect” your bedroom as the place your mind associates with proper sleep. “Napping is quite challenging to command,” notes a specialist. “If you don’t have the urge to sleep, it is tougher to recline and essentially instruct yourself to nod off. There must be some sleep pressure present to bring the sleep on to begin with. Personally, I can often snooze in full light and wake up naturally without a timer, though, what aids a lot of people is to wait for a time when they are naturally somewhat sleepy and then simply relax into it.”
It’s worth experimenting, and should you have few options – for instance, when aiming to fit in 40 winks during a commute or in a soundproof office pod – it's acceptable with bringing a few tools. “In my work with footballers, I recommend that they avoid becoming accustomed to sleeping in their bed, as they’re going to have|they will
