Hear plenty of productivity gurus, and you'll be tempting to convince yourself that a nap is a superpower: rather than a band-aid following poor sleep, but a path towards improved recall, improved mood and maybe a faster 5k run time. Elite athletes do it regularly – as do professional piano players, UFC champions and business leaders. Yet, when you haven’t got a dedicated nap-room or employment that permits regular snoozing, is it *truly* enough benefits to a quick nap for it to be worth the kerfuffle? Does there exist a dependable method to get to sleep quickly enough? Furthermore, can you truly ensure you will arise feeling improved, not worse?
Exploring The Reasons for Napping
“Experts note three key drivers for napping among most adults,” notes a professor of sleep and circadian science specialist. “Firstly, there's what we call make-up sleep, essentially what you do when you’ve had poor sleep the previous night. The second is prophylactic napping, which involves preparing for insufficient sleep coming up, for example when working on night shifts. The third is called “appetitive drive”, which essentially boils down to wanting: there is a moment to nap in the afternoon, and it's pleasant to nap.”
The first thing to undertake, then, is consider your reason for napping. “Napping can be genuinely useful when nighttime sleep is being disrupted due to causes beyond your control – for instance, for a new parent, or if you are healing from sickness or intense exercise,” explains a sleep specialist. “But if you nap as your sleep at night seems unreliable or poor, that’s often an indicator your need for sleep is not at the level it needs to be. In those cases, daytime sleep can turn into a contributing factor, rather than the answer. Use napping as a short-term solution for short-term problems – the main goal should still be a robust and regular overnight rest.”
The Optimal Snooze Time
This means that napping must not be too extended to interfere with your sleep at night, and best should not occur in the late afternoon (depending on what time you go to bed overnight). How long is sensible? Guidelines are mixed. Among the most-cited studies about napping, researchers at Nasa noted that space travelers experienced a boost of up to 54% in alertness plus a 34% rise in task performance post a 26-minute snooze (technically, this involved a six-minute sleep onset time). “I recommend setting a timer for 20 to 30 minutes – most people fall asleep in under ten minutes,” says a specialist. “You'll find much guidance out there regarding the perfect length of time, however, that can cause people to feel more worried than anything – and the most counterproductive thing one can do when attempting to nod off is worry about it.”
If you plan to nap for a longer period, steer clear of the period between 45 and 60 minutes that promotes sleep grogginess, that disoriented sensation upon waking. “Studies suggests it's more effective to have an extended nap of one to one and a half hours rather than a mid-length nap,” notes the professor. “Forty-five minutes is sufficient to send you into deep sleep and you’re more likely to feel disoriented when you wake up – however, if you extend it a bit longer to 60 or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to finish of a sleep cycle and are likely to wake up feeling more refreshed. However, if you're dozing for a long period, it may impact your sleep later that night.”
Finding the Perfect Nap Environment
When it comes to specific techniques, recommendations vary. Certain specialists propose adopting the same protocol you’d use to foster quality nighttime sleep: a quiet room, a cozy bed and maximum darkness as you can manage. Others suggest that one could just doze in a chair in the existing light is present – to avoid sleep inertia and to “protect” your bed as the place your mind associates with proper sleep. “Falling asleep is quite challenging to will,” explains an expert. “Lacking any drowsiness, it is tougher to get comfortable and practically command yourself to fall asleep. There’s got to be some drive present to initiate sleep initially. For me, it's possible to take a nap during the day and naturally wake up without a timer, though, what aids many individuals is to wait for a moment that they’re naturally feeling a bit drowsy and just gently ease into sleep.”
It’s worth experimenting, and when you have few options – for instance, when aiming to fit in a quick nap while traveling or in a soundproof office pod – it is perfectly fine to use a few tools. “In my work with elite athletes, I advise that they not rely on their own bed for naps, since they’re going to have|they will
