Listen to plenty of productivity podcasters, making it simple to think that a nap is a secret weapon: rather than a quick fix following a bad night’s sleep, but a path towards improved recall, improved mood and possibly improved athletic performance. Professional athletes swear by it – along with professional piano players, UFC champions and media moguls. Yet, when you lack a dedicated nap-room or a career that permits daytime sleep, is it *truly* sufficient advantages to a quick nap to merit the effort? Is there a reliable way to nod off promptly? And can you honestly promise you will arise feeling refreshed, instead of groggy?
Exploring Your Reasons for Napping
“We can identify three main reasons for daytime sleep for many people,” notes a professor of circadian rhythm professor. “One is termed recovery napping, that is the action you take following insufficient sleep overnight. Another is prophylactic napping, where you are pre-empting insufficient sleep in the future, for example during graveyard shifts. Finally, there's “pleasure-based sleep”, which simply boils down to desire: you get a chance to sleep in the afternoon, and it's pleasant to nap.”
The initial step to consider, so, is to examine why you want to nap. “Naps can be really helpful when overnight rest gets interrupted due to causes you cannot change – for example, for caring for an infant, or recovering after being ill or intense exercise,” explains a sleep expert. “But if you nap since your sleep at night is unstable or broken, that’s often a sign your need for sleep is not at the level it needs to be. In those cases, napping can become part of the problem, rather than the answer. Employ naps for brief periods to address immediate needs – the focus should still be a robust and regular night’s sleep.”
The Perfect Nap Duration
Therefore that napping shouldn’t be long enough to disrupt your nighttime sleep, and ideally should not occur in the late afternoon (contingent on when you go to bed in the evening). What's a reasonable length? Recommendations vary. In one of a prominent study about napping, experts noted that astronauts experienced up to a 54% increase in vigilance and a 34% increase in cognitive performance following a nap of 26 minutes (in detail, this included a six-minute long falling asleep phase). “I’d suggest setting an alarm for 20-30 minutes – most people doze off quickly,” says a sleep expert. “There is plenty of recommendations about the optimal amount for sleeping, yet that often lead individuals to become more worried than anything – and the least helpful action one can do when trying to nod off is worry about it.”
If you’re going to sleep for longer, avoid the period between 45 and 60 minutes that induces sleep inertia, that disoriented sensation when you awaken. “Research suggests it's more effective to take a longer nap of one to one and a half hours rather than a mid-length nap,” says the professor. “45 minutes is long enough to send you into a deep sleep stage making it more likely to feel disoriented when you wake up – whereas if you extend it slightly longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you will probably to finish a natural sleep cycle and should get up feeling more rejuvenated. Though if you nap for a long period, it may impact the quality of your sleep that night.”
Finding an Ideal Nap Environment
As for specific techniques, recommendations vary. Some experts recommend using the same protocol you use to encourage a good night’s sleep: a quiet room, a comfortable bed and as much darkness as possible. Others suggest that it's fine to simply nap in a chair in the existing light is present – to prevent sleep inertia and to “protect” your sleeping quarters as the place you associate with nighttime rest. “Falling asleep is quite challenging to will,” notes a specialist. “If you don’t have any sleepiness, it becomes harder to lie down and essentially tell yourself to go to sleep. You need a natural inclination available to bring the sleep on to begin with. Personally, I can often take a nap during the day and awaken on my own without an alarm, however, what assists most folks is to wait for a moment where they feel naturally somewhat sleepy and calmly allow sleep to come.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and should your choices are limited – for example, if you’re trying to fit in some shut-eye during a commute or in a work pod – there’s nothing wrong to employ some accessories. “In my work with elite athletes, I recommend that they avoid becoming accustomed to napping in bed, because they’re going to have|they will
