Listen to a few productivity gurus, and you'll be easy to convince yourself that a nap is a superpower: not just a quick fix following a bad night’s sleep, but a path to improved recall, better spirits and possibly a faster 5k run time. Premier League athletes swear by it – and so are concert pianists, fighters & high-profile executives. But if you haven’t got a room for napping or a career that allows daytime sleep, is it *truly* sufficient advantages to a quick nap to merit the kerfuffle? Is there a dependable method to fall asleep fast? Furthermore, can you honestly promise you’ll wake up feeling refreshed, rather than worse?
Understanding The Reasons for Napping
“There are three key drivers for daytime sleep among most adults,” says a professor of sleep science professor. “The first is what we call recovery napping, that is what you do when you’ve had a lack of sleep the previous night. Secondly, there's prophylactic napping, where you are preparing for a sleep deficit in the future, for example if you’re working on night shifts. The third is called “hedonic napping”, which simply is about wanting: there is an opportunity to doze in the afternoon, and it's pleasant to do it.”
The first thing to undertake, then, is to think about why you want to nap. “Naps can be really helpful when overnight rest is disturbed for reasons outside your control – such as, if you’re caring for an infant, or recovering from sickness or heavy physical exertion,” explains a sleep expert. “Yet when you take a nap as your nighttime sleep feels fragile or broken, that’s often a signal your sleep drive is not as strong as it should be. In those cases, napping can become part of the problem, not the solution. Employ naps for brief periods to address immediate needs – the priority ought to remain a solid and consistent sleep at night.”
The Ideal Nap Duration
Therefore that daytime sleep ought not to be long enough to interfere with your overnight rest, and ideally should not occur post-3 p.m. (depending on what time you retire at night). How long is sensible? Recommendations vary. Among the most-cited studies about napping, space agency scientists discovered that crew members had a boost of up to 54% in vigilance and a 34% increase in cognitive performance following a nap of 26 minutes (technically, this involved a six-minute falling asleep phase). “My advice is setting a timer for 20 to 30 minutes – most people are asleep in under ten minutes,” says a sleep coach. “There is plenty of advice around regarding the optimal amount of minutes, however, that can make people feel more worried above all – and the least helpful action one can do when attempting to nod off is worry about it.”
If you plan to sleep for longer, avoid the 45 to 60 minute range that promotes sleep inertia, that foggy state when you wake. “The science suggests it’s better to opt for a longer nap of 60 to 90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” explains the professor. “Three-quarters of an hour is enough time to send you into deep sleep making it more likely to feel groggy when you get up – whereas if you extend it slightly longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you will probably to be on the end a full cycle and will probably wake up feeling more rejuvenated. Though if you’re sleeping for 90 minutes, it will affect the quality of your sleep in the evening.”
Finding the Perfect Snooze Setting
When it comes to specific techniques, advice differs. Some experts recommend adopting comparable habits you’d use to promote restful sleep: a peaceful area, a cozy bed and minimal light as possible. Others suggest that it's fine to just doze in a chair in whatever light is available – to prevent sleep inertia and to maintain your bedroom as the space your mind associates with *real* sleep. “Sleep is notoriously difficult to will,” notes a specialist. “If you don’t have any drowsiness, it is tougher to lie down and basically tell yourself to go to sleep. There must be some drive present to start the process initially. Personally, I can often snooze during the day and wake up naturally without an alarm, though, what aids most folks is to anticipate an instance when they are naturally somewhat sleepy and just gently ease into sleep.”
It’s worth experimenting, and should you have few options – such as, when aiming to grab some shut-eye while traveling or in a soundproof office pod – there’s nothing wrong to use some accessories. “When I’m working with elite athletes, I recommend that they not rely on sleeping in their bed, as they’re going to have|they will
