Tune into a few productivity gurus, and you'll be tempting to believe that dozing is a superpower: more than a quick fix after poor sleep, but a shortcut to enhanced cognition, improved mood and possibly improved athletic performance. Elite athletes swear by it – as do musicians, mixed martial artists and high-profile executives. Yet, when you haven’t got a special sleep space or employment that encourages regular snoozing, are there *really* sufficient advantages to a short sleep to merit the effort? Can you find a surefire technique to get to sleep quickly enough? And can you honestly promise you will arise feeling better, instead of groggy?
Identifying Your Drive to Snooze
“We can identify three key drivers for taking a nap for many people,” says a leading circadian rhythm researcher. “One is what we call make-up sleep, that is the action you take following a lack of sleep overnight. Secondly, there's pre-emptive sleep, when you are preparing for insufficient sleep ahead, for instance when working overnight shifts. The third is called “appetitive drive”, which essentially boils down to desire: there is a chance to sleep in the afternoon, and it's pleasant to indulge.”
The initial step to undertake, then, is to think about your reason for napping. “Daytime sleep can be genuinely useful when nighttime sleep is being disrupted because of factors outside your control – for instance, when you are caring for an infant, or you’re recovering after being ill or intense exercise,” says a sleep specialist. “But if you nap since your sleep at night seems unreliable or broken, that is frequently a signal your body's sleep pressure is not as strong as it needs to be. In such situations, daytime sleep can turn into part of the problem, rather than the answer. Utilize daytime sleep as a short-term solution for short-term problems – the main goal should still be a solid and consistent night’s sleep.”
The Perfect Nap Length
Therefore that daytime sleep ought not to be long enough to disrupt your sleep at night, and preferably are not recommended in the late afternoon (based on when you retire at night). What's a reasonable length? Recommendations vary. Among the most referenced research regarding daytime sleep, researchers at Nasa noted that space travelers showed improvements of over 50% in vigilance and a 34% boost in performance after a 26-minute nap (technically, this included a six-minute long sleep onset time). “My advice is setting an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – most people fall asleep quickly,” says a sleep expert. “There is plenty of guidance out there regarding the optimal amount of minutes, but that tends to cause people to feel more worried than anything else – and the least helpful action you can do when trying to fall asleep is worry about it.”
Should you decide to sleep for longer, avoid the period between 45 and 60 minutes that encourages that sluggish feeling, that foggy state when you wake. “Studies suggests it’s better to take a lengthier snooze lasting 60-90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” explains the professor. “45 minutes is enough time to plunge you into slow-wave sleep and you’re more likely to feel groggy upon awakening – however, if you nap for slightly longer to a full sleep cycle, you will probably to be on the end a full cycle and will probably wake up feeling more refreshed. But if you’re sleeping for 90 minutes, it may impact your sleep in the evening.”
Finding an Ideal Snooze Setting
As for specific techniques, advice differs. Certain specialists propose adopting similar routines one would use to promote a good night’s sleep: a quiet room, a cozy bed and as much darkness as you can manage. Some advise that you should simply nap on a couch in whatever light happens to be around – to prevent post-nap grogginess and to preserve your sleeping quarters as the environment your brain links with proper sleep. “Falling asleep is quite challenging to will,” explains a sleep coach. “If you don’t have any sleepiness, it becomes harder to recline and essentially command yourself to go to sleep. There must be a natural inclination there to bring the sleep on to begin with. Personally, I can often snooze during the day and naturally wake up without a timer, though, what aids most folks is to look for a moment that they’re naturally somewhat sleepy and calmly allow sleep to come.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and when you have few options – such as, when aiming to fit in a quick nap while traveling or in a soundproof office pod – it's acceptable to employ a few tools. “When I’m working with professional sportspeople, I recommend that they avoid becoming accustomed to sleeping in their bed, since they’re going to have|they will
