Tune into plenty of self-improvement experts, and it’s tempting to think that dozing is a secret weapon: rather than a band-aid following a bad night’s sleep, but a route to enhanced cognition, improved mood and perhaps improved athletic performance. Premier League footballers are all at it – along with concert pianists, fighters and media moguls. But if you lack a dedicated nap-room or employment that allows regular snoozing, can there *honestly* worthwhile perks to a quick nap for it to be worth the kerfuffle? Is there a reliable way to fall asleep fast? And can you honestly promise you’ll wake up feeling better, rather than worse?
Exploring The Reasons for Napping
“There are three main reasons for taking a nap among most adults,” explains a leading sleep and circadian science professor. “Firstly, there's known as recovery napping, essentially what happens when you’ve had insufficient sleep the previous night. Secondly, there's preparatory napping, where you are pre-empting a sleep deficit in the future, such as if you’re working graveyard shifts. The third is called “pleasure-based sleep”, which simply comes down to wanting: there is a chance to nap in the daytime, and it feels nice to do it.”
The initial step to do, therefore, is to think about your nap motivation. “Naps can be genuinely useful when night sleeping gets interrupted because of factors outside your control – for instance, when you are a new parent, or recovering from illness or strenuous activity,” says a sleep specialist. “However, if you take a nap as your nighttime sleep seems unreliable or poor, that is frequently a signal your sleep drive is not where it needs to be. Under those circumstances, daytime sleep can turn into part of the issue, rather than the answer. Utilize daytime sleep as a temporary measure for temporary issues – the priority ought to remain a solid and consistent night’s sleep.”
The Optimal Nap Length
This means that daytime sleep ought not to be sufficiently lengthy to affect your sleep at night, and ideally are not recommended post-3 p.m. (contingent on what time you sleep in the evening). What's a reasonable length? Guidelines are mixed. In one of the most referenced research on the subject, experts found that astronauts showed up to a 54% increase in vigilance and a 34% boost in cognitive performance post a 26-minute snooze (to be precise, this counted a six-minute nodding-off period). “I’d suggest using an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – most people fall asleep quickly,” says a sleep coach. “There is plenty of advice around about the ideal number of minutes, but that tends to lead individuals to become more stressed than anything – and the most counterproductive thing you can possibly do while aiming to get to sleep is to be anxious.”
If you plan to nap for a longer period, avoid the 45 to 60 minute range that promotes that sluggish feeling, that disoriented sensation when you awaken. “The science suggests it's more effective to opt for a longer nap of one to one and a half hours compared to a medium-length nap,” notes the sleep scientist. “45 minutes is sufficient to send you into deep sleep and you’re more likely to feel sluggish when you wake up – whereas if you take it a bit longer to a full sleep cycle, you’re likely to be completing a natural sleep cycle and will probably awaken feeling more alert. Though if you nap for a long period, it may impact your sleep that night.”
Creating an Ideal Nap Environment
As for specific techniques, advice differs. A few professionals propose employing the same protocol you’d use to foster a good night’s sleep: a quiet room, a cozy bed and as much darkness as you can manage. Others suggest that one could merely snooze in a chair in whatever light happens to be around – both to discourage post-nap grogginess and to maintain your bedroom as the environment you associate with *real* sleep. “Sleep is quite challenging to will,” notes a sleep coach. “Without any sleepiness, it is more challenging to recline and essentially command yourself to go to sleep. There must be some drive there to start the process initially. Personally, I can often take a nap during the day and naturally wake up without an alarm, however, what assists many individuals is to anticipate a time where they feel naturally slightly tired and then simply relax into it.”
It’s worth experimenting, and when options are scarce – such as, if you’re trying to grab 40 winks on a train or at the office – there’s nothing wrong to use some accessories. “In my work with elite athletes, I recommend that they don’t get used to their own bed for naps, as they’re going to have|they will
