Hear a few performance podcasters, and it’s simple to think that dozing is a powerful tool: not just a sticking plaster after poor sleep, but a shortcut towards enhanced cognition, improved mood and perhaps quicker running times. Premier League soccer players are all at it – as do musicians, fighters and high-profile executives. However, if you don't have a special sleep space or employment that encourages regular snoozing, is it *truly* enough benefits to a quick nap to justify the effort? Does there exist a surefire technique to fall asleep fast? And can you really guarantee you will arise feeling better, instead of groggy?
Identifying The Nap Motivation
“Experts note three primary motivations for taking a nap for many people,” notes a professor of sleep and circadian science specialist. “The first is known as make-up sleep, essentially the action you take when you’ve had poor sleep overnight. The second is prophylactic napping, when you are pre-empting insufficient sleep coming up, for instance when working on night shifts. The third is called “hedonic napping”, which essentially comes down to the wish: there is a chance to doze during the day, and it feels nice to nap.”
The first thing to undertake, then, is to think about your nap motivation. “Napping can be truly beneficial when overnight rest gets interrupted for reasons you cannot change – such as, when you are caring for an infant, or recovering after being ill or strenuous activity,” explains a sleep physiologist. “But if you nap since your night sleep seems unreliable or broken, that can be an indicator your sleep drive is not as strong as required. In those cases, naps can become a contributing factor, instead of the fix. Utilize daytime sleep as a short-term solution to address immediate needs – the main goal ought to remain a solid and consistent sleep at night.”
The Optimal Snooze Time
This means that naps shouldn’t be too extended to disrupt your overnight rest, and preferably are not recommended post-3 p.m. (contingent on the time you sleep in the evening). How long is sensible? Guidelines are mixed. Among the most-cited studies on the subject, researchers at Nasa noted that crew members experienced improvements of over 50% in attentiveness and a 34% boost in task performance following a nap of 26 minutes (technically, this counted a six-minute long nodding-off period). “My advice is using an alarm for half an hour or less – most people are asleep within 10 minutes,” explains a sleep coach. “There’s a lot of guidance out there regarding the perfect length of minutes, but that tends to make people feel more anxious than anything – and the most counterproductive thing you can possibly do when trying to nod off is to stress over it.”
If you’re going to take an extended nap, bypass the 45 to 60 minute range that encourages that sluggish feeling, that foggy state upon waking. “Studies would say it’s better to opt for a longer nap of one to one and a half hours compared to a medium-length nap,” notes the expert. “Forty-five minutes is long enough to put you into deep sleep and you’re more likely to feel disoriented upon awakening – while if you nap for slightly longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you’re likely to be on the end a natural sleep cycle and are likely to get up feeling more alert. Though if you nap for a long period, it will affect the quality of your sleep in the evening.”
Creating the Right Sleep Space
When it comes to exact methodologies, advice differs. Some experts propose adopting comparable habits one would use to promote a good night’s sleep: a quiet room, a supportive surface and minimal light as you can manage. Others suggest that you should just doze in a chair in the existing light happens to be around – to prevent sleep inertia and to “protect” your bed as the space you associate with proper sleep. “Sleep is something really tricky to command,” says a sleep coach. “Without any sleepiness, it is more challenging to lie down and practically tell yourself to nod off. There must be a natural inclination present to initiate sleep in the first place. Personally, I can often snooze in full light and awaken on my own alarm-free, but what helps a lot of people is to wait for a moment where they feel naturally slightly tired and just gently relax into it.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and when options are scarce – for instance, if you’re trying to fit in a quick nap during a commute or in a soundproof office pod – it's acceptable with bringing a few tools. “In my work with elite athletes, I recommend that they not rely on their own bed for naps, since they’re going to have|they will
