Hear enough performance podcasters, and it’s easy to think that a nap is a powerful tool: more than a sticking plaster following poor sleep, but a route to a better memory, better spirits and perhaps quicker running times. Professional footballers are all at it – as do concert pianists, fighters & business leaders. Yet, when you lack a room for napping or a job that encourages frequent naps, is it *truly* enough benefits to a quick nap to merit the kerfuffle? Can you find a surefire technique to get to sleep quickly enough? And can you truly ensure you’ll wake up feeling refreshed, instead of groggy?
Exploring The Reasons for Napping
“There are three key drivers for napping for many people,” explains a leading circadian rhythm researcher. “The first is termed compensatory napping, which is what happens following insufficient sleep the previous night. The second is prophylactic napping, which involves preparing for a sleep deficit ahead, such as during overnight shifts. Finally, there's “hedonic napping”, which simply comes down to desire: you get an opportunity to nap in the afternoon, and it feels nice to indulge.”
The first thing to undertake, then, is to examine why you want to nap. “Daytime sleep can be really helpful when nighttime sleep is being disrupted because of factors you cannot change – such as, if you’re a new parent, or recovering from illness or heavy physical exertion,” explains a sleep specialist. “However, if you’re napping because your nighttime sleep feels fragile or broken, that’s often a sign your need for sleep is not as strong as it needs to be. In those cases, naps can become part of the problem, rather than the answer. Use napping as a temporary measure to address immediate needs – the focus ought to remain a solid and consistent overnight rest.”
The Optimal Nap Length
Therefore that napping must not be long enough to affect your sleep at night, and ideally should not occur after about 3pm (contingent on the time you go to bed in the evening). How long is sensible? Advice differs. Among a prominent study on the subject, experts discovered that astronauts had a boost of up to 54% in alertness plus a 34% rise in cognitive performance post a 26-minute snooze (in detail, this included a six-minute long sleep onset time). “My advice is setting a timer for half an hour or less – the majority fall asleep in under ten minutes,” says a specialist. “There is plenty of advice around regarding the ideal number of time, but that tends to lead individuals to become more anxious than anything else – and the worst thing you can do when trying to nod off is to be anxious.”
If you’re going to nap for a longer period, bypass the 45-60 minute window that induces that sluggish feeling, that disoriented sensation upon waking. “The science indicates it's more effective to take a lengthier snooze lasting 60-90 minutes than a medium-length one,” explains the professor. “Three-quarters of an hour is long enough to plunge you into deep sleep and it is more probable to feel disoriented upon awakening – whereas if you take it a bit longer to a full sleep cycle, it's likely you'll to be on the end of a sleep cycle and will probably get up feeling more rejuvenated. But if you're dozing for a long period, it may impact your sleep that night.”
Establishing the Perfect Snooze Setting
Regarding specific techniques, advice differs. A few professionals recommend adopting comparable habits you use to promote restful sleep: a peaceful area, a comfortable bed and minimal light as you can manage. Some advise that you should merely snooze in a chair with ambient lighting happens to be around – to avoid that groggy feeling and to “protect” your bed as the space your brain links with *real* sleep. “Sleep is something really tricky to will,” explains an expert. “If you don’t have the urge to sleep, it is more challenging to recline and essentially tell yourself to nod off. You need a natural inclination there to start the process initially. I can usually nap in full light and awaken on my own without a timer, but what helps many individuals is to wait for a moment where they feel naturally feeling a bit drowsy and then simply ease into sleep.”
It’s worth experimenting, and should your choices are limited – such as, if you’re trying to fit in 40 winks on a train or in a soundproof office pod – it is perfectly fine to employ sleep aids. “Coaching professional sportspeople, I suggest that they don’t get used to napping in bed, because they’re going to have|they will
