Listen to enough self-improvement experts, and it’s easy to think that a nap is a powerful tool: not just a band-aid after restless night, but a shortcut to improved recall, better spirits and perhaps quicker running times. Elite soccer players swear by it – and so are musicians, fighters & media moguls. Yet, when you don't have a special sleep space or a job that encourages daytime sleep, are there *really* sufficient advantages to a quick nap for it to be worth the effort? Can you find a dependable method to nod off promptly? And can you honestly promise you’ll wake up feeling refreshed, rather than worse?
Identifying The Nap Motivation
“Experts note three primary motivations for napping for many people,” explains an expert sleep and circadian science researcher. “Firstly, there's what we call recovery napping, which is the action you take when you’ve had poor sleep overnight. Another is preparatory napping, when you are anticipating sleep loss in the future, for example if you’re working overnight shifts. The third reason is “pleasure-based sleep”, which simply comes down to wanting: there is a moment to doze in the afternoon, and it's enjoyable to nap.”
The first thing to do, therefore, is to examine your nap motivation. “Naps can be genuinely useful when night sleeping gets interrupted because of factors beyond your control – for example, if you’re a parent of a newborn, or if you are healing from sickness or intense exercise,” states a sleep expert. “However, if you take a nap since your sleep at night feels fragile or unreliable, that’s often a signal your need for sleep is not where it should be. In those cases, daytime sleep can turn into part of the issue, not the solution. Use napping as a temporary measure to address immediate needs – the main goal ought to remain a strong and predictable night’s sleep.”
The Optimal Nap Duration
Therefore that napping shouldn’t be too extended to affect your sleep at night, and preferably are not recommended post-3 p.m. (based on the time you go to bed at night). How long is sensible? Guidelines are mixed. From a prominent study regarding daytime sleep, researchers at Nasa found that crew members experienced improvements of over 50% in attentiveness and a 34% increase in cognitive performance following a nap of 26 minutes (in detail, this included a six-minute long falling asleep phase). “I recommend setting a timer for 20-30 minutes – many individuals are asleep within 10 minutes,” explains a sleep expert. “You'll find much advice around regarding the perfect length for sleeping, however, that can cause people to feel more anxious than anything – and the least helpful action you can do when attempting 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 encourages sleep grogginess, that spaced-out feeling upon waking. “Studies indicates it's more effective to opt for a longer nap lasting 60-90 minutes than a medium-length one,” says the professor. “Three-quarters of an hour is sufficient to plunge you into deep sleep and it is more probable to feel sluggish when you wake up – while if you take it slightly longer to a full sleep cycle, you will probably to finish a full cycle and should get up feeling more rejuvenated. But if you nap for an hour and a half, it can influence how you sleep that night.”
Establishing the Right Sleep Space
As for precise methods, recommendations vary. A few professionals recommend adopting similar routines you use to encourage quality nighttime sleep: a quiet room, a cozy bed and as much darkness as possible. Alternatively, experts propose that you should just doze on the sofa with ambient lighting is present – to prevent sleep inertia and to maintain your sleeping quarters as the space your brain links with nighttime rest. “Sleep is something really tricky to will,” explains a sleep coach. “Lacking the urge to sleep, it becomes harder to lie down and practically command yourself to go to sleep. You need some sleep pressure available to bring the sleep on in the first place. Personally, I can often nap in broad daylight and wake up naturally alarm-free, however, what assists many individuals is to wait for an instance when they are naturally somewhat sleepy and then simply ease into sleep.”
Experimentation is key, and when your choices are limited – for example, when aiming to squeeze in 40 winks while traveling or in a soundproof office pod – it is perfectly fine with bringing a few tools. “Coaching professional sportspeople, I recommend that they don’t get used to their own bed for naps, since they’re going to have|they will
