Listen to a few performance gurus, and you'll be simple to convince yourself that dozing is a secret weapon: rather than a band-aid after a bad night’s sleep, but a shortcut to improved recall, a brighter outlook and maybe improved athletic performance. Elite athletes are all at it – and so are musicians, UFC champions and business leaders. Yet, when you haven’t got a room for napping or employment that encourages daytime sleep, can there *honestly* worthwhile perks to a burst of shut-eye for it to be worth the effort? Does there exist a reliable way to fall asleep fast? And can you honestly promise you’ll wake up feeling improved, rather than worse?
Identifying Your Drive to Snooze
“We can identify three key drivers for daytime sleep among most adults,” notes a leading circadian rhythm specialist. “One is termed make-up sleep, which is what you do after experiencing a lack of sleep the night before. Secondly, there's prophylactic napping, which involves preparing for sleep loss in the future, for example if you’re working on night shifts. The third reason is “hedonic napping”, which essentially is about desire: there is a moment to doze during the day, and it feels nice to do it.”
The first thing to undertake, so, is to examine your nap motivation. “Naps can be genuinely useful when night sleeping is being disrupted because of factors beyond your control – for instance, for a parent of a newborn, or if you are healing from sickness or heavy physical exertion,” says a sleep specialist. “But if you nap as your sleep at night feels fragile or poor, that can be a sign your need for sleep is not as strong as it needs to be. Under those circumstances, naps can become a contributing factor, instead of the fix. Utilize daytime sleep as a short-term solution to address immediate needs – the focus should still be a strong and predictable overnight rest.”
The Ideal Snooze Time
This implies that daytime sleep must not be long enough to interfere with your overnight rest, and preferably shouldn’t take place post-3 p.m. (depending on what time you retire overnight). What's a reasonable length? Advice differs. Among the most referenced research about napping, space agency scientists noted that space travelers experienced a boost of up to 54% in vigilance and a 34% increase in cognitive performance following a nap of 26 minutes (technically, this included a six-minute long sleep onset time). “I’d suggest setting a timer for half an hour or less – the majority fall asleep in under ten minutes,” notes a specialist. “There’s a lot of recommendations concerning the optimal amount of time, however, that can lead individuals to become more worried than anything else – and the most counterproductive thing you can possibly do while aiming to fall asleep is to be anxious.”
If you’re going to take an extended nap, steer clear of the period between 45 and 60 minutes that induces sleep grogginess, that disoriented sensation upon waking. “Research indicates it's more effective to opt for a lengthier snooze of 60 to 90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” says the professor. “Forty-five minutes is long enough to send you into deep sleep making it more likely to feel groggy when you get up – while if you take it a bit longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you will probably to be on the end a natural sleep cycle and are likely to awaken feeling more rejuvenated. Though if you're dozing for a long period, it can influence how you sleep in the evening.”
Establishing the Perfect Sleep Space
When it comes to exact methodologies, advice differs. Some experts recommend adopting the same protocol you use to foster restful sleep: a peaceful area, a supportive surface and as much darkness as possible. Alternatively, experts propose that you should simply nap on the sofa with ambient lighting happens to be around – both to discourage sleep inertia and to “protect” your bedroom as the place your brain links with nighttime rest. “Sleep is something really tricky to force,” says a sleep coach. “If you don’t have any sleepiness, it becomes harder to get comfortable and basically command yourself to go to sleep. You need a natural inclination present to start the process in the first place. I can usually take a nap during the day and awaken on my own without an alarm, 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 if options are scarce – for example, when aiming to fit in a quick nap during a commute or in a work pod – it is perfectly fine with bringing some accessories. “When I’m working with elite athletes, I recommend that they avoid becoming accustomed to napping in bed, since they’re going to have|they will
