Listen to a few performance experts, and you'll be easy to think that a nap is a powerful tool: rather than a quick fix after a bad night’s sleep, but a route to improved recall, improved mood and possibly quicker running times. Professional footballers are all at it – and so are professional piano players, fighters & high-profile executives. Yet, when you don't have a special sleep space or employment that allows regular snoozing, is it *truly* worthwhile perks to a short sleep to justify the hassle? Is there a reliable way to get to sleep quickly enough? And can you really guarantee you will arise feeling refreshed, instead of groggy?
Understanding Your Reasons for Napping
“Experts note three key drivers for daytime sleep among most adults,” explains an expert sleep and circadian science specialist. “The first is known as recovery napping, which is what happens following a lack of sleep the previous night. Another is pre-emptive sleep, when you are anticipating insufficient sleep ahead, such as during graveyard shifts. Finally, there's “hedonic napping”, which basically comes down to wanting: you get a moment to doze during the day, and it feels nice to indulge.”
The primary task to do, then, is consider your nap motivation. “Napping can be truly beneficial when nighttime sleep is disturbed for reasons outside your control – for instance, for caring for an infant, or if you are healing from illness or strenuous activity,” explains a sleep physiologist. “However, if you take a nap because your sleep at night seems unreliable or poor, that’s often an indicator your sleep drive is not where required. Under those circumstances, napping can become part of the problem, rather than the answer. Employ naps for brief periods for short-term problems – the focus should still be a strong and predictable night’s sleep.”
The Optimal Nap Length
This means that naps must not be too extended to affect your overnight rest, and preferably should not occur after about 3pm (depending on the time you sleep overnight). What's a reasonable length? Recommendations vary. From the most-cited studies about napping, researchers at Nasa discovered that astronauts had up to a 54% increase in vigilance and a 34% increase in task performance after a 26-minute nap (to be precise, this involved a six-minute sleep onset time). “I’d suggest using an alarm for 20-30 minutes – many individuals fall asleep in under ten minutes,” explains a sleep coach. “There is plenty of guidance out there about the perfect length of minutes, but that tends to make people feel more stressed above all – and the worst thing you can do when trying to get to sleep is to stress over it.”
Should you decide to nap for a longer period, steer clear of the 45-60 minute window that induces sleep grogginess, that disoriented sensation when you awaken. “The science indicates it’s better to take a longer nap of 60 to 90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” says the expert. “Three-quarters of an hour is sufficient to plunge you into deep sleep making it more likely to feel sluggish when you get up – whereas if you extend it a bit longer to 60 or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to finish a full cycle and should get up feeling more refreshed. However, if you’re sleeping for 90 minutes, it can influence the quality of your sleep later that night.”
Establishing an Ideal Nap Environment
As for exact methodologies, recommendations vary. Some experts suggest using the same protocol one would use to promote quality nighttime sleep: a peaceful area, a cozy bed and maximum darkness as you can manage. Alternatively, experts propose that one could just doze in a chair in whatever light happens to be around – both to discourage that groggy feeling and to “protect” your bed as the place your mind associates with nighttime rest. “Napping is something really tricky to force,” notes a specialist. “If you don’t have any drowsiness, it becomes harder to lie down and basically instruct yourself to nod off. There must be a natural inclination present to start the process initially. For me, it's possible to snooze in full light and awaken on my own without an alarm, though, what aids a lot of people is to look for an instance where they feel naturally somewhat sleepy and then simply allow sleep to come.”
It’s worth experimenting, and should options are scarce – for example, if you’re trying to fit in some shut-eye during a commute or in a work pod – it is perfectly fine to employ some accessories. “When I’m working with footballers, I suggest that they don’t get used to napping in bed, because they’re going to have|they will
