Tune into enough performance podcasters, and you'll be tempting to think that napping is a secret weapon: more than a band-aid after restless night, but a path towards improved recall, improved mood and maybe quicker running times. Professional athletes do it regularly – along with professional piano players, UFC champions & media moguls. Yet, when you lack a room for napping or a career that encourages regular snoozing, are there *really* enough benefits to a quick nap to merit the effort? Does there exist a surefire technique to nod off promptly? Plus, is it possible to honestly promise you will get up feeling better, instead of groggy?
Exploring The Reasons for Napping
“There are three key drivers for napping in the adult population,” explains a professor of sleep science researcher. “One is known as recovery napping, which is what you do following poor sleep the previous night. Another is pre-emptive sleep, where you are pre-empting sleep loss coming up, such as during graveyard shifts. The third reason is “hedonic napping”, which simply comes down to wanting: there is an opportunity to doze during the day, and it feels nice to indulge.”
The primary task to do, so, is consider your nap motivation. “Naps can be truly beneficial when overnight rest is being disrupted due to causes you cannot change – such as, for caring for an infant, or you’re recovering after being ill or intense exercise,” states a sleep specialist. “But if you take a nap as your night sleep seems unreliable or unreliable, that’s often a sign your body's sleep pressure is not at the level required. In those cases, daytime sleep can turn into a contributing factor, not the solution. Employ naps as a short-term solution for short-term problems – the priority should still be a robust and regular overnight rest.”
The Optimal Snooze Time
This implies that naps shouldn’t be too extended to interfere with your overnight rest, and preferably shouldn’t take place after about 3pm (based on what time you go to bed at night). What duration is wise? Recommendations vary. Among the most referenced research about napping, space agency scientists found that astronauts experienced a boost of up to 54% in alertness and a 34% increase in cognitive performance post a 26-minute snooze (to be precise, this counted a six-minute falling asleep phase). “My advice is using an alarm for 20-30 minutes – the majority doze off within 10 minutes,” says a sleep expert. “There’s a lot of recommendations regarding the perfect length of time, however, that can make people feel more anxious than anything – and the least helpful action one can do when attempting to nod off is to be anxious.”
Should you decide to nap for a longer period, steer clear of the period between 45 and 60 minutes that encourages sleep grogginess, that disoriented sensation when you awaken. “The science suggests it’s better to opt for a lengthier snooze of one to one and a half hours rather than a mid-length nap,” notes the expert. “Three-quarters of an hour is enough time to put you into a deep sleep stage making it more likely to feel groggy upon awakening – while if you extend it slightly longer to an hour or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to be on the end a full cycle and will probably wake up feeling more refreshed. However, if you're dozing for 90 minutes, it may impact the quality of your sleep later that night.”
Finding an Ideal Sleep Space
Regarding precise methods, suggestions are diverse. A few professionals suggest employing similar routines you use to encourage restful sleep: a silent space, a cozy bed and maximum darkness as possible. Some advise that it's fine to merely snooze in a chair in whatever light is available – to avoid post-nap grogginess and to preserve your sleeping quarters as the place you associate with nighttime rest. “Falling asleep is quite challenging to force,” says a sleep coach. “Without the urge to sleep, 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 snooze in full light and wake up naturally alarm-free, though, what aids a lot of people is to anticipate an instance when they are naturally feeling a bit drowsy and then simply relax into it.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and when your choices are limited – for example, when aiming to grab 40 winks while traveling or at the office – it's acceptable with bringing some accessories. “In my work with professional sportspeople, I recommend that they not rely on napping in bed, since they’re going to have|they will
