Listen to a few self-improvement gurus, and you'll be simple to convince yourself that dozing is a superpower: more than a quick fix following a bad night’s sleep, but a path to improved recall, a brighter outlook and maybe quicker running times. Professional soccer players swear by it – and so are concert pianists, UFC champions and business leaders. However, if you lack a dedicated nap-room or a career that allows frequent naps, can there *honestly* enough benefits to a burst of shut-eye to merit the kerfuffle? Does there exist a surefire technique to fall asleep fast? Plus, is it possible to really guarantee you will arise feeling refreshed, not worse?
Understanding Your Drive to Snooze
“There are three primary motivations for daytime sleep in the adult population,” explains a leading circadian rhythm researcher. “One is termed make-up sleep, that is the action you take after experiencing insufficient sleep overnight. Secondly, there's pre-emptive sleep, where you are preparing for sleep loss in the future, such as during graveyard shifts. Finally, there's “pleasure-based sleep”, which essentially boils down to wanting: you get an opportunity to doze in the daytime, and it's enjoyable to do it.”
The first thing to consider, therefore, is consider your reason for napping. “Napping can be really helpful when nighttime sleep is disturbed because of factors you cannot change – such as, when you are a new parent, or you’re recovering from sickness or intense exercise,” says a sleep expert. “But if you nap because your night sleep feels fragile or poor, that is frequently a sign your body's sleep pressure is not as strong as it should be. In such situations, naps can become a contributing factor, not the solution. Employ naps for brief periods to address immediate needs – the priority should still be a robust and regular sleep at night.”
The Ideal Snooze Time
This means that napping ought not to be too extended to affect your sleep at night, and best shouldn’t take place post-3 p.m. (depending on what time you retire overnight). What's a reasonable length? Guidelines are mixed. In one of a prominent study regarding daytime sleep, experts noted that space travelers experienced up to a 54% increase in attentiveness and a 34% boost in task performance post a 26-minute snooze (technically, this counted an initial six-minute nodding-off period). “I recommend setting a timer for 20 to 30 minutes – most people fall asleep within 10 minutes,” says a specialist. “There is plenty of recommendations about the optimal amount of minutes, but that tends to make people feel more stressed above all – and the worst thing you can possibly do when trying to get to sleep is to be anxious.”
Should you decide to sleep for longer, bypass the period between 45 and 60 minutes that promotes that sluggish feeling, that spaced-out feeling when you wake. “The science indicates it's more effective to have an extended nap lasting 60-90 minutes than a medium-length one,” says the professor. “Forty-five minutes is sufficient to send you into a deep sleep stage making it more likely to feel sluggish when you wake up – while if you extend it a bit longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you will probably to be completing a full cycle and are likely to awaken feeling more alert. Though if you’re sleeping for 90 minutes, it can influence your sleep later that night.”
Finding an Ideal Sleep Space
Regarding exact methodologies, recommendations vary. A few professionals recommend using similar routines you use to promote quality nighttime sleep: a peaceful area, a supportive surface and maximum darkness as is feasible. Others suggest that you should simply nap in a chair with ambient lighting is available – both to discourage sleep inertia and to maintain your bed as the environment your brain links with nighttime rest. “Napping is something really tricky to will,” notes a sleep coach. “Lacking any sleepiness, it becomes harder to recline and practically instruct yourself to fall asleep. There’s got to be a natural inclination present to initiate sleep to begin with. Personally, I can often nap during the day and wake up naturally without a timer, though, what aids most folks is to look for a moment where they feel naturally somewhat sleepy and calmly allow sleep to come.”
It’s worth experimenting, and if options are scarce – such as, if attempting to fit in 40 winks on a train or in a work pod – it's acceptable to employ sleep aids. “When I’m working with elite athletes, I suggest that they not rely on napping in bed, since they’re going to have|they will
