Listen to plenty of productivity experts, and you'll be tempting to convince yourself that dozing is a secret weapon: not just a quick fix after restless night, but a shortcut to enhanced cognition, improved mood and possibly quicker running times. Professional athletes swear by it – as do concert pianists, UFC champions & media moguls. Yet, when you lack a special sleep space or a career that encourages regular snoozing, is it *truly* enough benefits to a short sleep to justify the hassle? Does there exist a dependable method to fall asleep fast? And can you truly ensure you’ll wake up feeling refreshed, rather than worse?
Exploring The Nap Motivation
“There are three key drivers for daytime sleep among most adults,” explains an expert sleep science specialist. “Firstly, there's what we call make-up sleep, essentially the action you take following insufficient sleep the previous night. The second is preparatory napping, when you are anticipating insufficient sleep coming up, for example if you’re working on night shifts. Finally, there's “appetitive drive”, which basically boils down to wanting: there is an opportunity to sleep in the daytime, and it's pleasant to do it.”
The first thing to consider, so, is to examine your reason for napping. “Daytime sleep can be truly beneficial when night sleeping gets interrupted due to causes you cannot change – for example, for caring for an infant, or if you are healing after being ill or heavy physical exertion,” says a sleep expert. “Yet when you nap because your nighttime sleep seems unreliable or broken, that is frequently an indicator your sleep drive is not where it should be. In such situations, naps can become part of the issue, instead of the fix. Utilize daytime sleep as a short-term solution to address immediate needs – the focus ought to remain a solid and consistent overnight rest.”
The Ideal Nap Length
Therefore that daytime sleep must not be sufficiently lengthy to affect your overnight rest, and ideally shouldn’t take place after about 3pm (depending on the time you sleep in the evening). How long is sensible? Advice differs. In one of a prominent study regarding daytime sleep, researchers at Nasa discovered that astronauts showed improvements of over 50% in attentiveness and a 34% increase in task performance post a 26-minute snooze (to be precise, this counted a six-minute long nodding-off period). “I’d suggest setting an alarm for 20-30 minutes – most people doze off quickly,” notes a sleep coach. “There is plenty of recommendations about the ideal number of minutes, yet that often make people feel more anxious than anything – and the worst thing you can possibly do when attempting to fall asleep is to stress over it.”
If you’re going to nap for a longer period, avoid the 45-60 minute window that induces that sluggish feeling, that foggy state when you awaken. “Research indicates it is preferable to take an extended nap of 60 to 90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” notes the expert. “Forty-five minutes is sufficient to put you into a deep sleep stage and you’re more likely to feel groggy when you wake up – whereas if you take it a bit longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you’re likely to finish a natural sleep cycle and will probably get up feeling more refreshed. However, if you’re sleeping for a long period, it may impact your sleep that night.”
Finding the Perfect Snooze Setting
When it comes to specific techniques, recommendations vary. A few professionals recommend employing the same protocol you’d use to encourage quality nighttime sleep: a quiet room, a supportive surface and maximum darkness as is feasible. Alternatively, experts propose that one could merely snooze in a chair in the existing light is present – to prevent post-nap grogginess and to “protect” your bedroom as the environment your mind associates with proper sleep. “Sleep is notoriously difficult to command,” notes a specialist. “Without any drowsiness, it is more challenging to get comfortable and basically command yourself to nod off. There’s got to be some drive available to initiate sleep initially. I can usually snooze in full light and awaken on my own alarm-free, though, what aids many individuals is to anticipate a moment that they’re naturally somewhat sleepy and then simply allow sleep to come.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and when you have few options – for instance, if you’re trying to fit in a quick nap during a commute or at the office – it is perfectly fine to use 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
