The Formula for a Flawless Nap: Timing, Location & for How Long?
Tune into a few productivity gurus, and you'll be tempting to believe that napping is a secret weapon: not just a sticking plaster following restless night, but a route towards enhanced cognition, improved mood and possibly quicker running times. Professional footballers are all at it – and so are concert pianists, UFC champions and media moguls. Yet, when you lack a room for napping or employment that allows frequent naps, is it *truly* enough benefits to a burst of shut-eye for it to be worth the kerfuffle? Can you find a dependable method to fall asleep fast? Furthermore, can you truly ensure you will arise feeling refreshed, instead of groggy?
Understanding Your Reasons for Napping
“Experts note three main reasons for napping in the adult population,” notes a leading circadian rhythm professor. “Firstly, there's known as make-up sleep, essentially what happens when you’ve had poor sleep overnight. Secondly, there's prophylactic napping, where you are pre-empting insufficient sleep coming up, such as during overnight shifts. The third is called “hedonic napping”, which basically boils down to desire: you get a chance to doze in the afternoon, and it feels nice to do it.”
The initial step to consider, therefore, is to think about your nap motivation. “Daytime sleep can be really helpful when nighttime sleep is being disrupted because of factors outside your control – such as, when you are a parent of a newborn, or you’re recovering after being ill or intense exercise,” explains a sleep specialist. “But if you’re napping as your sleep at night is unstable or broken, that’s often a signal your body's sleep pressure is not as strong as it should be. In such situations, naps can become part of the problem, instead of the fix. Utilize daytime sleep as a short-term solution for short-term problems – the priority should still be a robust and regular overnight rest.”
The Perfect Snooze Time
Therefore that napping ought not to be long enough to interfere with your sleep at night, and best are not recommended post-3 p.m. (depending on what time you retire at night). How long is sensible? Guidelines are mixed. In one of the most-cited studies on the subject, experts found that space travelers experienced improvements of over 50% in alertness and a 34% increase in task performance post a 26-minute snooze (to be precise, this counted an initial six-minute sleep onset time). “I recommend setting an alarm for 20-30 minutes – the majority doze off in under ten minutes,” explains a specialist. “You'll find much guidance out there concerning the perfect length of time, but that tends to lead individuals to become more anxious than anything else – and the most counterproductive thing you can do while aiming to nod off is worry about it.”
If you’re going to take an extended nap, steer clear of the period between 45 and 60 minutes that promotes sleep grogginess, that foggy state when you awaken. “Studies indicates it's more effective to opt for an extended nap of one to one and a half hours compared to a medium-length nap,” says the professor. “45 minutes is long enough to send you into deep sleep making it more likely to feel disoriented when you get up – however, if you nap for a little longer to a full sleep cycle, you’re likely to be on the end of a sleep cycle and will probably wake up feeling more rejuvenated. However, if you're dozing for an hour and a half, it will affect your sleep in the evening.”
Establishing an Ideal Sleep Space
As for exact methodologies, recommendations vary. Certain specialists propose using similar routines you’d use to encourage restful sleep: a quiet room, a comfortable bed and as much darkness as is feasible. Some advise that you should simply nap on the sofa with ambient lighting is present – to prevent sleep inertia and to maintain your bed as the space you associate with proper sleep. “Sleep is something really tricky to force,” notes a sleep coach. “Without any drowsiness, it is tougher to recline and practically 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 in broad daylight and wake up naturally without a timer, but what helps a lot of people is to anticipate 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 you’re trying to squeeze in some shut-eye during a commute or at the office – it's acceptable to employ some accessories. “In my work with professional sportspeople, I suggest that they not rely on their own bed for naps, since they’re going to have|they will
