Hear a few productivity podcasters, and it’s easy to convince yourself that dozing is a powerful tool: not just a sticking plaster following a bad night’s sleep, but a shortcut towards improved recall, better spirits and maybe a faster 5k run time. Professional soccer players are all at it – and so are musicians, UFC champions and business leaders. Yet, when you lack a room for napping or a job that permits daytime sleep, are there *really* sufficient advantages to a quick nap for it to be worth the hassle? Can you find a reliable way to nod off promptly? And can you truly ensure you will get up feeling better, not worse?
Identifying Your Nap Motivation
“We can identify three primary motivations for daytime sleep for many people,” explains a professor of circadian rhythm specialist. “Firstly, there's known as compensatory napping, which is what happens after experiencing a lack of sleep the night before. Another is prophylactic napping, which involves pre-empting sleep loss in the future, such as if you’re working graveyard shifts. Finally, there's “pleasure-based sleep”, which basically boils down to desire: there is an opportunity to sleep during the day, and it's enjoyable to do it.”
The initial step to undertake, then, is to examine your reason for napping. “Napping can be really helpful when overnight rest is disturbed for reasons you cannot change – for example, for caring for an infant, or recovering from illness or heavy physical exertion,” says a sleep specialist. “Yet when you take a nap because your nighttime sleep seems unreliable or broken, that can be an indicator your sleep drive is not as strong as it should be. Under those circumstances, daytime sleep can turn into a contributing factor, rather than the answer. Use napping for brief periods to address immediate needs – the priority should still be a solid and consistent sleep at night.”
The Ideal Nap Length
This means that daytime sleep ought not to be too extended to disrupt your nighttime sleep, and preferably shouldn’t take place post-3 p.m. (based on what time you sleep at night). What's a reasonable length? Recommendations vary. Among the most-cited studies on the subject, researchers at Nasa noted that crew members experienced up to a 54% increase in alertness and a 34% increase in performance post a 26-minute snooze (to be precise, this included a six-minute long nodding-off period). “My advice is setting an alarm for 20-30 minutes – many individuals are asleep within 10 minutes,” says a specialist. “There’s a lot of guidance out there concerning the ideal number of time, but that tends to lead individuals to become more anxious than anything – and the least helpful action one can do while aiming to nod off is to be anxious.”
If you’re going to nap for a longer period, bypass the period between 45 and 60 minutes that promotes that sluggish feeling, that spaced-out feeling upon waking. “Studies indicates it's more effective to have an extended nap lasting 60-90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” says the expert. “Forty-five minutes is enough time to put you into a deep sleep stage and you’re more likely to feel sluggish upon awakening – however, if you extend it slightly longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you’re likely to be completing a natural sleep cycle and will probably awaken feeling more rejuvenated. Though if you’re sleeping for 90 minutes, it can influence the quality of your sleep in the evening.”
Establishing the Right Nap Environment
As for exact methodologies, advice differs. Some experts suggest employing similar routines you’d use to promote a good night’s sleep: a quiet room, a cozy bed and minimal light as possible. Others suggest that you should just doze in a chair in the existing light happens to be around – to avoid sleep inertia and to “protect” your bedroom as the environment your mind associates with proper sleep. “Napping is something really tricky to will,” notes an expert. “Lacking any drowsiness, it is more challenging to get comfortable and practically command yourself to fall asleep. There must be some drive present to initiate sleep to begin with. Personally, I can often nap during the day and awaken on my own alarm-free, though, what aids most folks is to wait for a moment where they feel naturally somewhat sleepy and then simply ease into sleep.”
Experimentation is key, and if you have few options – for example, if attempting to grab a quick nap during a commute or at the office – there’s nothing wrong with bringing sleep aids. “In my work with professional sportspeople, I advise that they don’t get used to sleeping in their bed, because they’re going to have|they will
