Hear plenty of self-improvement gurus, and you'll be simple to believe that napping is a powerful tool: more than a sticking plaster following restless night, but a route towards improved recall, better spirits and maybe quicker running times. Elite athletes swear by it – and so are concert pianists, UFC champions and business leaders. But if you don't have a room for napping or a job that allows regular snoozing, are there *really* sufficient advantages to a short sleep for it to be worth the kerfuffle? Is there a dependable method to fall asleep fast? Plus, is it possible to honestly promise you will arise feeling refreshed, rather than worse?
Exploring Your Reasons for Napping
“Experts note three main reasons for taking a nap among most adults,” notes a professor of sleep and circadian science researcher. “The first is termed compensatory napping, which is the action you take when you’ve had a lack of sleep overnight. Secondly, there's preparatory napping, when you are pre-empting sleep loss ahead, for instance when working on night shifts. The third is called “pleasure-based sleep”, which simply boils down to wanting: you have a chance to nap during the day, and it's pleasant to nap.”
The first thing to undertake, so, is to examine your nap motivation. “Daytime sleep can be truly beneficial when nighttime sleep is disturbed because of factors beyond your control – such as, when you are a new parent, or recovering after being ill or heavy physical exertion,” says a sleep specialist. “But if you take a nap as your sleep at night seems unreliable or broken, that’s often a signal your body's sleep pressure is not as strong as it needs to be. In such situations, napping can become part of the issue, rather than the answer. Use napping as a temporary measure to address immediate needs – the focus should still be a solid and consistent night’s sleep.”
The Perfect Snooze Time
This implies that napping ought not to be sufficiently lengthy to interfere with your overnight rest, and ideally are not recommended after about 3pm (based on what time you go to bed at night). What's a reasonable length? Recommendations vary. From a prominent study about napping, space agency scientists found that space travelers had up to a 54% increase in vigilance plus a 34% rise in cognitive performance following a nap of 26 minutes (technically, this counted an initial six-minute falling asleep phase). “I recommend using an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – most people doze off in under ten minutes,” notes a specialist. “There is plenty of recommendations concerning the ideal number of time, yet that often cause people to feel more anxious than anything – and the worst thing you can possibly do while aiming to get to sleep is worry about it.”
If you plan to take an extended nap, avoid the period between 45 and 60 minutes that induces sleep grogginess, that spaced-out feeling when you awaken. “Studies would say it’s better to take a lengthier snooze of 60 to 90 minutes than a medium-length one,” explains the professor. “Three-quarters of an hour is sufficient to plunge you into slow-wave sleep and it is more probable to feel groggy when you get up – while if you extend it slightly longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you’re likely to be on the end a full cycle and are likely to awaken feeling more alert. But if you're dozing for a long period, it may impact how you sleep that night.”
Finding the Right Nap Environment
Regarding precise methods, recommendations vary. Certain specialists suggest using comparable habits you use to foster restful sleep: a quiet room, a comfortable bed and maximum darkness as is feasible. Others suggest that you should just doze on a couch in whatever light is available – both to discourage that groggy feeling and to maintain your sleeping quarters as the place your mind associates with *real* sleep. “Falling asleep is something really tricky to force,” says a sleep coach. “Without the urge to sleep, it is tougher to lie down and basically tell yourself to go to sleep. There’s got to be some sleep pressure there to initiate sleep in the first place. Personally, I can often snooze during the day and wake up naturally alarm-free, however, what assists most folks is to wait for a moment when they are naturally slightly tired and just gently ease into sleep.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and when you have few options – such as, if you’re trying to grab a quick nap on a train or at the office – it's acceptable with bringing some accessories. “Coaching footballers, I recommend that they don’t get used to sleeping in their bed, as they’re going to have|they will
