The Formula to a Flawless Kip: When, Where & Duration?
Tune into plenty of productivity gurus, and it’s easy to convince yourself that a nap is a superpower: more than a quick fix following a bad night’s sleep, but a shortcut towards improved recall, a brighter outlook and possibly improved athletic performance. Elite athletes swear by it – as do concert pianists, UFC champions and business leaders. However, if you lack a dedicated nap-room or employment that permits regular snoozing, are there *really* enough benefits to a short sleep to merit the kerfuffle? Is there a surefire technique to fall asleep fast? Plus, is it possible to honestly promise you will get up feeling better, not worse?
Exploring Your Reasons for Napping
“Experts note three key drivers for daytime sleep in the adult population,” says an expert sleep science researcher. “The first is termed recovery napping, that is the action you take when you’ve had insufficient sleep the previous night. Another is preparatory napping, which involves pre-empting a sleep deficit ahead, for instance if you’re working overnight shifts. The third reason is “appetitive drive”, which essentially comes down to wanting: there is a chance to doze in the afternoon, and it's pleasant to do it.”
The initial step to consider, then, is consider your reason for napping. “Naps can be really helpful when night sleeping gets interrupted due to causes you cannot change – for instance, for caring for an infant, or if you are healing after being ill or heavy physical exertion,” says a sleep specialist. “But if you nap because your nighttime sleep is unstable or broken, that’s often an indicator your need for sleep is not at the level required. Under those circumstances, daytime sleep can turn into a contributing factor, rather than the answer. Use napping as a temporary measure for short-term problems – the main goal should still be a robust and regular overnight rest.”
The Perfect Snooze Time
This means that daytime sleep ought not to be too extended to affect your sleep at night, and preferably should not occur post-3 p.m. (contingent on the time you sleep in the evening). How long is sensible? Guidelines are mixed. In one of the most-cited studies regarding daytime sleep, space agency scientists found that astronauts showed a boost of up to 54% in vigilance and a 34% boost in performance following a nap of 26 minutes (in detail, this included an initial six-minute falling asleep phase). “My advice is using an alarm for 20-30 minutes – the majority doze off within 10 minutes,” notes a sleep expert. “There’s a lot of advice around concerning the optimal amount of time, yet that often lead individuals to become more anxious than anything – and the worst thing one can do while aiming to get to sleep is worry about it.”
If you plan to sleep for longer, steer clear of the 45 to 60 minute range that encourages sleep inertia, that disoriented sensation when you wake. “The science suggests it's more effective to take a longer nap of 60 to 90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” notes the sleep scientist. “45 minutes is enough time to plunge you into a deep sleep stage and you’re more likely to feel disoriented upon awakening – whereas if you take it a bit longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you’re likely to be on the end a full cycle and will probably awaken feeling more alert. However, if you nap for 90 minutes, it may impact the quality of your sleep in the evening.”
Creating the Perfect Snooze Setting
As for precise methods, recommendations vary. A few professionals recommend using the same protocol you’d use to promote a good night’s sleep: a peaceful area, a comfortable bed and maximum darkness as possible. Others suggest that one could simply nap on a couch with ambient lighting happens to be around – to avoid that groggy feeling and to maintain your bed as the place your mind associates with *real* sleep. “Sleep is notoriously difficult to force,” says an expert. “If you don’t have the urge to sleep, it becomes harder to recline and essentially tell yourself to nod off. There must be a natural inclination available to initiate sleep in the first place. Personally, I can often take a nap in broad daylight and naturally wake up without an alarm, however, what assists many individuals is to wait for a moment where they feel naturally feeling a bit drowsy and calmly ease into sleep.”
It’s worth experimenting, and when your choices are limited – for example, if you’re trying to squeeze in some shut-eye while traveling or in a work pod – it's acceptable to employ a few tools. “Coaching footballers, I suggest that they don’t get used to sleeping in their bed, since they’re going to have|they will
