Hear a few performance gurus, and it’s easy to believe that dozing is a secret weapon: not just a sticking plaster following restless night, but a shortcut to a better memory, better spirits and possibly quicker running times. Elite footballers do it regularly – along with concert pianists, UFC champions and business leaders. However, if you lack a dedicated nap-room or a career that allows frequent naps, are there *really* worthwhile perks to a quick nap to justify the hassle? Does there exist a reliable way to nod off promptly? Furthermore, can you truly ensure you will get up feeling refreshed, not worse?
Identifying The Nap Motivation
“Experts note three key drivers for taking a nap among most adults,” notes a leading circadian rhythm specialist. “The first is what we call recovery napping, that is the action you take following insufficient sleep the previous night. Secondly, there's prophylactic napping, where you are anticipating a sleep deficit ahead, for instance when working graveyard shifts. The third reason is “appetitive drive”, which basically boils down to desire: you have a moment to nap in the afternoon, and it's enjoyable to nap.”
The primary task to consider, therefore, is to think about your reason for napping. “Napping can be genuinely useful when overnight rest is being disrupted for reasons outside your control – for example, when you are a new parent, or if you are healing from sickness or strenuous activity,” says a sleep expert. “Yet when you take a nap since your night sleep is unstable or poor, that’s often a sign your body's sleep pressure is not as strong as required. In such situations, daytime sleep can turn into a contributing factor, instead of the fix. Utilize daytime sleep for brief periods for short-term problems – the main goal ought to remain a robust and regular overnight rest.”
The Perfect Nap Length
This means that naps ought not to be sufficiently lengthy to affect your overnight rest, and best are not recommended in the late afternoon (depending on when you sleep in the evening). How long is sensible? Guidelines are mixed. Among the most referenced research regarding daytime sleep, space agency scientists noted that crew members had up to a 54% increase in alertness plus a 34% rise in performance post a 26-minute snooze (technically, this involved an initial six-minute sleep onset time). “My advice is using an alarm for half an hour or less – many individuals are asleep within 10 minutes,” explains a sleep expert. “There’s a lot of recommendations concerning the optimal amount for sleeping, however, that can make people feel more anxious than anything else – and the least helpful action you can do when trying to nod off is to be anxious.”
Should you decide to sleep for longer, bypass the period between 45 and 60 minutes that promotes sleep inertia, that spaced-out feeling when you wake. “Research would say it's more effective to take a lengthier snooze of 60 to 90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” explains the sleep scientist. “Forty-five minutes is sufficient to plunge you into slow-wave sleep making it more likely to feel groggy when you wake up – however, if you extend it a bit longer to a full sleep cycle, it's likely you'll to be on the end of a sleep cycle and should awaken feeling more rejuvenated. Though if you nap for 90 minutes, it can influence your sleep that night.”
Establishing the Right Sleep Space
Regarding exact methodologies, advice differs. A few professionals recommend using comparable habits one would use to promote quality nighttime sleep: a peaceful area, a comfortable bed and maximum darkness as you can manage. Others suggest that you should simply nap in a chair in the existing light happens to be around – to avoid that groggy feeling and to maintain your bed as the environment your mind associates with nighttime rest. “Sleep is quite challenging to will,” says a specialist. “Without the urge to sleep, it is tougher to recline and basically command yourself to fall asleep. There’s got to be a natural inclination available to bring the sleep on in the first place. Personally, I can often nap during the day and awaken on my own alarm-free, but what helps a lot of people is to look for a time that they’re naturally slightly tired and just gently relax into it.”
It’s worth experimenting, and should options are scarce – such as, if attempting to squeeze in a quick nap on a train or at the office – it's acceptable to employ sleep aids. “Coaching footballers, I advise that they avoid becoming accustomed to their own bed for naps, since they’re going to have|they will
