Hear enough performance gurus, making it tempting to believe that dozing is a powerful tool: more than a quick fix after poor sleep, but a route towards a better memory, improved mood and maybe improved athletic performance. Premier League soccer players do it regularly – as do professional piano players, UFC champions & business leaders. However, if you haven’t got a room for napping or a career that allows frequent naps, can there *honestly* worthwhile perks to a short sleep to justify the kerfuffle? Does there exist a dependable method to fall asleep fast? And can you truly ensure you will get up feeling better, instead of groggy?
Identifying The Drive to Snooze
“Experts note three main reasons for napping for many people,” says a professor of circadian rhythm specialist. “One is what we call compensatory napping, which is what you do when you’ve had a lack of sleep the night before. Another is pre-emptive sleep, when you are preparing for insufficient sleep ahead, such as when working on night shifts. The third is called “pleasure-based sleep”, which essentially boils down to wanting: you have a moment to doze during the day, and it's enjoyable to indulge.”
The first thing to do, therefore, is consider your nap motivation. “Napping can be really helpful when night sleeping gets interrupted due to causes you cannot change – such as, when you are a parent of a newborn, or recovering after being ill or strenuous activity,” states a sleep expert. “But if you nap because your nighttime sleep is unstable or unreliable, that can be an indicator your body's sleep pressure is not where it needs to be. In those cases, napping can become a contributing factor, rather than the answer. Employ naps as a short-term solution for short-term problems – the priority ought to remain a strong and predictable sleep at night.”
The Optimal Snooze Time
This implies that daytime sleep shouldn’t be too extended to disrupt your sleep at night, and best should not occur after about 3pm (based on when you go to bed overnight). How long is sensible? Recommendations vary. Among a prominent study regarding daytime sleep, experts found that crew members showed up to a 54% increase in alertness plus a 34% rise in performance after a 26-minute nap (technically, this included a six-minute nodding-off period). “I recommend setting a timer for 20 to 30 minutes – many individuals fall asleep in under ten minutes,” says a specialist. “There’s a lot of guidance out there concerning the ideal number of minutes, but that tends to lead individuals to become more stressed than anything – and the least helpful action you can do when attempting to nod off is worry about it.”
Should you decide to sleep for longer, avoid the 45 to 60 minute range that promotes sleep inertia, that disoriented sensation when you awaken. “Studies indicates it’s better to have an extended nap of one to one and a half hours than a medium-length one,” notes the sleep scientist. “45 minutes is enough time to put you into a deep sleep stage and it is more probable to feel sluggish when you get up – however, if you take it slightly longer to a full sleep cycle, you will probably to finish of a sleep cycle and should get up feeling more alert. Though if you’re sleeping for an hour and a half, it may impact your sleep later that night.”
Finding an Ideal Sleep Space
When it comes to specific techniques, suggestions are diverse. Some experts suggest adopting similar routines you’d use to encourage quality nighttime sleep: a quiet room, a supportive surface and as much darkness as you can manage. Alternatively, experts propose that you should just doze on the sofa in the existing light is available – to prevent post-nap grogginess and to preserve your bed as the place you associate with nighttime rest. “Sleep is notoriously difficult to command,” notes an expert. “If you don’t have any drowsiness, it becomes harder to lie down and essentially instruct yourself to fall asleep. There must be a natural inclination available to initiate sleep initially. For me, it's possible to snooze in broad daylight and naturally wake up alarm-free, though, what aids a lot of people is to look for a time that they’re naturally feeling a bit drowsy and calmly allow sleep to come.”
Experimentation is key, and if you have few options – for instance, if attempting to squeeze in some shut-eye during a commute or at the office – there’s nothing wrong with bringing a few tools. “When I’m working with elite athletes, I suggest that they not rely on sleeping in their bed, since they’re going to have|they will
