Hear a few productivity gurus, making it tempting to convince yourself that napping is a superpower: rather than a band-aid after restless night, but a shortcut to a better memory, better spirits and maybe improved athletic performance. Professional athletes do it regularly – and so are professional piano players, fighters & media moguls. But if you haven’t got a dedicated nap-room or employment that permits frequent naps, is it *truly* worthwhile perks to a burst of shut-eye to merit the kerfuffle? Does there exist a surefire technique to get to sleep quickly enough? Furthermore, can you really guarantee you will get up feeling refreshed, not worse?
Understanding The Reasons for Napping
“Experts note three primary motivations for daytime sleep for many people,” explains a leading sleep science specialist. “Firstly, there's termed make-up sleep, essentially the action you take following insufficient sleep the previous night. The second is preparatory napping, where you are preparing for insufficient sleep coming up, for instance during on night shifts. The third reason is “pleasure-based sleep”, which essentially is about desire: you get a chance to nap during the day, and it's enjoyable to indulge.”
The first thing to undertake, therefore, is to think about why you want to nap. “Daytime sleep can be genuinely useful when night sleeping gets interrupted due to causes beyond your control – such as, when you are caring for an infant, or you’re recovering from sickness or heavy physical exertion,” explains a sleep physiologist. “However, if you take a nap as your nighttime sleep seems unreliable or poor, that can be a signal your need for sleep is not at the level it should be. In such situations, napping can become part of the problem, rather than the answer. Use napping as a short-term solution for temporary issues – the priority ought to remain a robust and regular overnight rest.”
The Perfect Nap Duration
This implies that napping shouldn’t be too extended to disrupt your overnight rest, and best shouldn’t take place in the late afternoon (based on the time you retire in the evening). What's a reasonable length? Guidelines are mixed. In one of the most referenced research regarding daytime sleep, space agency scientists found that space travelers experienced improvements of over 50% in vigilance and a 34% boost in task performance post a 26-minute snooze (in detail, this included an initial six-minute nodding-off period). “I’d suggest using an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – the majority doze off quickly,” notes a sleep coach. “There’s a lot of advice around about the perfect length of minutes, yet that often cause people to feel more worried than anything else – and the most counterproductive thing you can do when attempting to get to sleep is to stress over it.”
If you plan to sleep for longer, bypass the 45 to 60 minute range that induces sleep grogginess, that disoriented sensation when you wake. “The science suggests it’s better to opt for an extended nap of one to one and a half hours rather than a mid-length nap,” notes the expert. “Forty-five minutes is enough time to send you into slow-wave sleep and it is more probable to feel disoriented when you wake up – whereas if you take it slightly longer to a full sleep cycle, you’re likely to be completing a natural sleep cycle and will probably awaken feeling more alert. But if you’re sleeping for 90 minutes, it can influence the quality of your sleep later that night.”
Finding the Perfect Sleep Space
When it comes to specific techniques, suggestions are diverse. Certain specialists suggest using comparable habits one would use to foster quality nighttime sleep: a quiet room, a cozy bed and minimal light as possible. Some advise that you should just doze in a chair in whatever light is available – both to discourage that groggy feeling and to preserve your bedroom as the environment you associate with nighttime rest. “Sleep is something really tricky to force,” notes a sleep coach. “Without any drowsiness, it becomes harder to lie down and essentially command yourself to go to sleep. You need a natural inclination available to bring the sleep on initially. Personally, I can often snooze in broad daylight and wake up naturally alarm-free, but what helps most folks is to wait for a moment when they are naturally slightly tired and then simply ease into sleep.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and if you have few options – such as, when aiming to fit in 40 winks while traveling or at the office – it is perfectly fine to employ sleep aids. “When I’m working with footballers, I advise that they not rely on sleeping in their bed, since they’re going to have|they will
