The Key for an Ideal Snooze: When, Where & for How Long?
Listen to enough performance experts, and it’s tempting to think that dozing is a superpower: not just a quick fix after poor sleep, but a path to improved recall, better spirits and possibly improved athletic performance. Premier League soccer players do it regularly – and so are professional piano players, fighters and business leaders. However, if you lack a room for napping or a career that allows frequent naps, can there *honestly* sufficient advantages to a quick nap to merit the kerfuffle? Does there exist a surefire technique to get to sleep quickly enough? Furthermore, can you truly ensure you will get up feeling improved, rather than worse?
Understanding Your Reasons for Napping
“There are three main reasons for daytime sleep in the adult population,” explains a professor of sleep and circadian science professor. “Firstly, there's what we call recovery napping, that is what you do when you’ve had insufficient sleep the previous night. Secondly, there's preparatory napping, when you are anticipating sleep loss in the future, such as during overnight shifts. The third reason is “appetitive drive”, which basically comes down to wanting: there is a moment to nap in the afternoon, and it's enjoyable to do it.”
The initial step to consider, then, is to examine why you want to nap. “Napping can be genuinely useful when night sleeping is being disrupted for reasons you cannot change – such as, when you are a new parent, or if you are healing from illness or intense exercise,” says a sleep physiologist. “But if you take a nap since your night sleep feels fragile or unreliable, that can be an indicator your need for sleep is not where it needs to be. Under those circumstances, daytime sleep can turn into a contributing factor, rather than the answer. Utilize daytime sleep as a short-term solution to address immediate needs – the priority must always be a strong and predictable night’s sleep.”
The Optimal Nap Length
This means that daytime sleep must not be too extended to interfere with your nighttime sleep, and preferably should not occur after about 3pm (depending on what time you sleep in the evening). What duration is wise? Advice differs. In one of the most referenced research regarding daytime sleep, space agency scientists found that crew members had a boost of up to 54% in alertness and a 34% boost in task performance post a 26-minute snooze (to be precise, this involved an initial six-minute sleep onset time). “I’d suggest setting a timer for half an hour or less – many individuals doze off quickly,” notes a sleep expert. “There’s a lot of guidance out there about the ideal number of time, yet that often lead individuals to become more worried above all – and the worst thing one can do while aiming to get to sleep is to be anxious.”
Should you decide to nap for a longer period, bypass the 45 to 60 minute range that encourages that sluggish feeling, that foggy state upon waking. “Studies suggests it’s better to take a longer nap of 60 to 90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” explains the expert. “Forty-five minutes is sufficient to plunge you into a deep sleep stage making it more likely to feel disoriented upon awakening – whereas if you nap for a bit longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you’re likely to be completing a full cycle and should wake up feeling more alert. Though if you’re sleeping for a long period, it may impact the quality of your sleep that night.”
Establishing the Right Nap Environment
As for precise methods, recommendations vary. Certain specialists suggest employing comparable habits you’d use to encourage restful sleep: a peaceful area, a cozy bed and minimal light as you can manage. Alternatively, experts propose that one could merely snooze in a chair with ambient lighting is available – to prevent that groggy feeling and to preserve your bedroom as the place you associate with nighttime rest. “Sleep is notoriously difficult to will,” explains an expert. “Lacking the urge to sleep, it is more challenging to lie down and basically instruct yourself to nod off. There must be a natural inclination there to start the process to begin with. I can usually snooze in broad daylight and naturally wake up without an alarm, but what helps many individuals is to wait for an instance that they’re naturally somewhat sleepy and then simply allow sleep to come.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and should your choices are limited – for instance, when aiming to fit in a quick nap while traveling or in a soundproof office pod – it's acceptable with bringing sleep aids. “Coaching elite athletes, I advise that they don’t get used to their own bed for naps, because they’re going to have|they will
