Hear a few self-improvement gurus, making it simple to think that dozing is a secret weapon: rather than a quick fix following poor sleep, but a path towards a better memory, improved mood and possibly quicker running times. Premier League footballers are all at it – and so are musicians, fighters and high-profile executives. But if you haven’t got a special sleep space or employment that encourages frequent naps, is it *truly* worthwhile perks to a short sleep for it to be worth the kerfuffle? Can you find a reliable way to fall asleep fast? Plus, is it possible to truly ensure you will get up feeling better, rather than worse?
Understanding The Drive to Snooze
“We can identify three primary motivations for taking a nap in the adult population,” explains a leading sleep science professor. “Firstly, there's termed recovery napping, which is what you do when you’ve had poor sleep overnight. Secondly, there's prophylactic napping, which involves pre-empting sleep loss in the future, for example if you’re working graveyard shifts. The third is called “pleasure-based sleep”, which simply boils down to wanting: there is a moment to nap during the day, and it's enjoyable to indulge.”
The primary task to do, then, is consider your nap motivation. “Naps can be genuinely useful when overnight rest is being disrupted for reasons outside your control – such as, when you are a new parent, or you’re recovering after being ill or strenuous activity,” explains a sleep expert. “However, if you nap since your night sleep seems unreliable or broken, that is frequently an indicator your need for sleep is not at the level required. In those cases, naps can become a contributing factor, instead of the fix. Employ naps as a short-term solution to address immediate needs – the main goal must always be a solid and consistent sleep at night.”
The Ideal Nap Duration
This means that naps shouldn’t be too extended to interfere with your nighttime sleep, and best should not occur post-3 p.m. (depending on the time you go to bed at night). What duration is wise? Advice differs. Among the most referenced research about napping, researchers at Nasa discovered that astronauts had up to a 54% increase in vigilance and a 34% boost in task performance after a 26-minute nap (in detail, this involved a six-minute long falling asleep phase). “I’d suggest setting an alarm for half an hour or less – the majority fall asleep within 10 minutes,” explains a specialist. “You'll find much guidance out there regarding the perfect length of minutes, however, that can make people feel more stressed than anything – and the least helpful action you can do when trying to get to sleep is worry about it.”
Should you decide to sleep for longer, steer clear of the 45-60 minute window that encourages sleep grogginess, that spaced-out feeling when you awaken. “The science suggests it's more effective to take a lengthier snooze of one to one and a half hours rather than a mid-length nap,” says the expert. “45 minutes is sufficient to put you into a deep sleep stage making it more likely to feel sluggish upon awakening – whereas if you take it slightly longer to a full sleep cycle, it's likely you'll to be completing a full cycle and are likely to wake up feeling more refreshed. But if you’re sleeping for an hour and a half, it will affect how you sleep later that night.”
Finding the Right Sleep Space
As for exact methodologies, advice differs. A few professionals propose employing the same protocol you’d use to promote quality nighttime sleep: a silent space, a cozy bed and minimal light as you can manage. Alternatively, experts propose that one could simply nap in a chair with ambient lighting happens to be around – to prevent that groggy feeling and to maintain your bed as the space your mind associates with *real* sleep. “Falling asleep is something really tricky to will,” notes a sleep coach. “Without any sleepiness, it is tougher to get comfortable and basically instruct yourself to fall asleep. There must be some drive there to start the process initially. Personally, I can often nap in full light and awaken on my own alarm-free, however, what assists a lot of people is to wait for a time that they’re naturally feeling a bit drowsy and just gently relax into it.”
Experimentation is key, and when you have few options – such as, if attempting to squeeze in a quick nap on a train or in a work pod – it is perfectly fine with bringing a few tools. “Coaching footballers, I advise that they not rely on sleeping in their bed, as they’re going to have|they will
