Tune into a few performance podcasters, making it easy to believe that napping is a superpower: rather than a sticking plaster after a bad night’s sleep, but a route towards improved recall, better spirits and possibly quicker running times. Elite soccer players swear by it – as do concert pianists, fighters and media moguls. But if you haven’t got a dedicated nap-room or a career that allows regular snoozing, is it *truly* enough benefits to a short sleep to justify the hassle? Is there a reliable way to nod off promptly? Furthermore, can you really guarantee you’ll wake up feeling refreshed, not worse?
Exploring The Reasons for Napping
“We can identify three main reasons for taking a nap in the adult population,” notes a leading sleep science specialist. “One is what we call recovery napping, which is the action you take following a lack of sleep the night before. Another is preparatory napping, which involves anticipating a sleep deficit ahead, for instance during on night shifts. The third is called “hedonic napping”, which basically is about the wish: you get an opportunity to nap during the day, and it feels nice to do it.”
The first thing to do, then, is consider why you want to nap. “Napping can be truly beneficial when nighttime sleep gets interrupted for reasons outside your control – for instance, when you are a new parent, or if you are healing from illness or intense exercise,” says a sleep expert. “Yet when you’re napping as your night sleep is unstable or unreliable, that is frequently a signal your need for sleep is not at the level it should be. In those cases, naps can become part of the issue, instead of the fix. Utilize daytime sleep as a temporary measure to address immediate needs – the focus must always be a strong and predictable overnight rest.”
The Optimal Nap Length
This means that naps ought not to be too extended to disrupt your nighttime sleep, and preferably are not recommended post-3 p.m. (based on when you go to bed in the evening). What's a reasonable length? Advice differs. In one of the most-cited studies about napping, space agency scientists found that crew members had improvements of over 50% in vigilance plus a 34% rise in task performance after a 26-minute nap (in detail, this included a six-minute long sleep onset time). “I recommend using an alarm for 20-30 minutes – most people doze off quickly,” notes a sleep expert. “You'll find much recommendations about the ideal number of minutes, but that tends to cause people to feel more stressed than anything else – and the worst thing one can do while aiming to nod off is to be anxious.”
If you plan to sleep for longer, bypass the 45-60 minute window that induces that sluggish feeling, that disoriented sensation upon waking. “The science indicates it’s better to take a lengthier snooze of 60 to 90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” says the professor. “Forty-five minutes is sufficient to put you into slow-wave sleep and you’re more likely to feel disoriented when you wake up – however, if you take it a little longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you’re likely to be completing a natural sleep cycle and are likely to get up feeling more alert. Though if you're dozing for a long period, it can influence how you sleep later that night.”
Finding the Perfect Snooze Setting
When it comes to precise methods, advice differs. Certain specialists propose adopting comparable habits you’d use to promote restful sleep: a peaceful area, a comfortable bed and maximum darkness as you can manage. Others suggest that one could just doze on the sofa with ambient lighting is present – to avoid post-nap grogginess and to “protect” your sleeping quarters as the environment your brain links with *real* sleep. “Falling asleep is something really tricky to will,” notes an expert. “Lacking any drowsiness, it is more challenging to recline and essentially command yourself to fall asleep. There’s got to be some drive available to initiate sleep to begin with. For me, it's possible to nap during the day and awaken on my own without an alarm, but what helps a lot of people is to wait for a time when they are naturally feeling a bit drowsy and just gently relax into it.”
It’s worth experimenting, and should options are scarce – such as, when aiming to fit in 40 winks while traveling or in a work pod – there’s nothing wrong with bringing some accessories. “Coaching professional sportspeople, I recommend that they avoid becoming accustomed to sleeping in their bed, as they’re going to have|they will
