The Formula to a Flawless Snooze: When, Where and for How Long?
Hear plenty of self-improvement gurus, and it’s simple to convince yourself that napping is a secret weapon: not just a sticking plaster following a bad night’s sleep, but a shortcut towards improved recall, a brighter outlook and perhaps quicker running times. Premier League soccer players do it regularly – along with professional piano players, fighters & media moguls. However, if you haven’t got a dedicated nap-room or employment that allows daytime sleep, are there *really* sufficient advantages to a quick nap to merit the hassle? Can you find a reliable way to get to sleep quickly enough? Plus, is it possible to truly ensure you’ll wake up feeling improved, not worse?
Identifying Your Reasons for Napping
“Experts note three primary motivations for daytime sleep for many people,” explains an expert sleep science professor. “Firstly, there's what we call compensatory napping, essentially what happens when you’ve had a lack of sleep the previous night. The second is prophylactic napping, which involves anticipating sleep loss coming up, for instance when working overnight shifts. The third reason is “pleasure-based sleep”, which simply boils down to desire: you get an opportunity to nap during the day, and it's enjoyable to do it.”
The initial step to do, then, is consider your nap motivation. “Napping can be truly beneficial when night sleeping is being disrupted because of factors you cannot change – such as, if you’re a new parent, or if you are healing from illness or strenuous activity,” explains a sleep expert. “But if you’re napping as your night sleep is unstable or poor, that’s often an indicator your sleep drive is not as strong as it should be. In such situations, daytime sleep can turn into part of the issue, not the solution. Employ naps for brief periods for temporary issues – the main goal should still be a solid and consistent overnight rest.”
The Ideal Nap Length
Therefore that naps shouldn’t be sufficiently lengthy to affect your nighttime sleep, and ideally should not occur in the late afternoon (depending on the time you retire overnight). What duration is wise? Recommendations vary. From the most-cited studies on the subject, space agency scientists found that crew members showed improvements of over 50% in alertness plus a 34% rise in task performance after a 26-minute nap (technically, this included an initial six-minute falling asleep phase). “I’d suggest setting an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – most people fall asleep quickly,” explains a sleep coach. “You'll find much recommendations concerning the ideal number for sleeping, but that tends to cause people to feel more stressed above all – and the least helpful action you can do when trying to get to sleep is to stress over it.”
If you plan to take an extended nap, bypass the 45-60 minute window that promotes sleep grogginess, that foggy state upon waking. “Research suggests it’s better to opt for a longer nap lasting 60-90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” says the expert. “Forty-five minutes is long enough to send you into deep sleep and it is more probable to feel sluggish upon awakening – however, if you take it slightly longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you will probably to finish of a sleep cycle and will probably wake up feeling more rejuvenated. However, if you're dozing for a long period, it will affect your sleep in the evening.”
Establishing the Perfect Nap Environment
Regarding exact methodologies, recommendations vary. Certain specialists recommend adopting the same protocol one would use to encourage quality nighttime sleep: a quiet room, a comfortable bed and maximum darkness as possible. Others suggest that you should merely snooze on a couch in the existing light happens to be around – to prevent that groggy feeling and to “protect” your bedroom as the place you associate with *real* sleep. “Falling asleep is quite challenging to force,” explains an expert. “Lacking any drowsiness, it is more challenging to recline and basically tell yourself to nod off. You need a natural inclination available to initiate sleep in the first place. For me, it's possible to snooze during the day and wake up naturally without an alarm, though, what aids a lot of people is to anticipate a moment where they feel naturally slightly tired and then simply relax into it.”
Experimentation is key, and when your choices are limited – for example, when aiming to squeeze in a quick nap while traveling or in a work pod – there’s nothing wrong to use some accessories. “In my work with elite athletes, I recommend that they avoid becoming accustomed to their own bed for naps, since they’re going to have|they will
