Listen to plenty of performance experts, making it easy to convince yourself that dozing is a powerful tool: rather than a sticking plaster following a bad night’s sleep, but a route to enhanced cognition, better spirits and maybe quicker running times. Professional athletes are all at it – as do musicians, mixed martial artists & high-profile executives. But if you lack a dedicated nap-room or employment that encourages regular snoozing, can there *honestly* sufficient advantages to a quick nap to justify the hassle? Can you find a dependable method to fall asleep fast? Plus, is it possible to honestly promise you will arise feeling refreshed, rather than worse?
Exploring The Nap Motivation
“Experts note three primary motivations for taking a nap in the adult population,” says a leading circadian rhythm professor. “Firstly, there's termed recovery napping, that is what you do after experiencing a lack of sleep the previous night. Another is prophylactic napping, which involves anticipating sleep loss ahead, for example when working graveyard shifts. The third reason is “hedonic napping”, which essentially boils down to the wish: you have an opportunity to doze in the afternoon, and it's enjoyable to do it.”
The initial step to undertake, then, is consider your nap motivation. “Naps can be really helpful when overnight rest is disturbed due to causes outside your control – such as, when you are caring for an infant, or if you are healing from sickness or heavy physical exertion,” states a sleep specialist. “However, if you’re napping as your nighttime sleep is unstable or broken, that’s often a signal your need for sleep is not at the level it should be. In those cases, daytime sleep can turn into part of the problem, rather than the answer. Utilize daytime sleep for brief periods for short-term problems – the priority ought to remain a robust and regular night’s sleep.”
The Perfect Nap Duration
Therefore that naps ought not to be sufficiently lengthy to disrupt your nighttime sleep, and best shouldn’t take place post-3 p.m. (based on when you go to bed in the evening). What duration is wise? Recommendations vary. From a prominent study on the subject, space agency scientists noted that space travelers showed a boost of up to 54% in vigilance and a 34% boost in cognitive performance following a nap of 26 minutes (in detail, this included an initial six-minute falling asleep phase). “I’d suggest setting a timer for 20 to 30 minutes – many individuals doze off within 10 minutes,” notes a sleep coach. “You'll find much advice around concerning the optimal amount for sleeping, but that tends to lead individuals to become more worried above all – and the most counterproductive thing one can do when trying to fall asleep is worry about it.”
If you’re going to sleep for longer, bypass the period between 45 and 60 minutes that promotes sleep inertia, that foggy state when you awaken. “The science indicates it’s better to have a longer nap lasting 60-90 minutes than a medium-length one,” notes the professor. “Forty-five minutes is long enough to send you into a deep sleep stage and you’re more likely to feel disoriented upon awakening – whereas if you extend it a little longer to a full sleep cycle, you’re likely to finish a full cycle and will probably wake up feeling more alert. However, if you’re sleeping for an hour and a half, it can influence how you sleep that night.”
Creating the Perfect Sleep Space
Regarding precise methods, advice differs. A few professionals suggest adopting the same protocol one would use to foster a good night’s sleep: a quiet room, a supportive surface and minimal light as possible. Some advise that you should just doze in a chair in the existing light is present – to avoid sleep inertia and to maintain your bedroom as the place you associate with proper sleep. “Sleep is quite challenging to command,” explains an expert. “If you don’t have any sleepiness, it becomes harder to recline and basically command yourself to go to sleep. There’s got to be a natural inclination present to start the process initially. I can usually snooze during the day and wake up naturally without a timer, but what helps most folks is to look for a time when they are naturally somewhat sleepy and then simply ease into sleep.”
It’s worth experimenting, and should you have few options – such as, if attempting to grab a quick nap during a commute or in a soundproof office pod – it is perfectly fine to employ a few tools. “In my work with elite athletes, I suggest that they don’t get used to sleeping in their bed, since they’re going to have|they will
