The Secret to a Perfect Nap: When, Location & Duration?
Tune into enough performance gurus, and it’s easy to convince yourself that a nap is a powerful tool: more than a band-aid after poor sleep, but a shortcut to improved recall, improved mood and perhaps improved athletic performance. Professional footballers swear by it – as do professional piano players, fighters & media moguls. But if you haven’t got a room for napping or a job that permits frequent naps, are there *really* enough benefits to a burst of shut-eye for it to be worth the hassle? Is there a dependable method to fall asleep fast? Plus, is it possible to honestly promise you will arise feeling better, not worse?
Understanding Your Nap Motivation
“There are three main reasons for daytime sleep in the adult population,” explains a professor of sleep and circadian science researcher. “One is what we call recovery napping, which is what you do when you’ve had a lack of sleep the previous night. Another is prophylactic napping, when you are preparing for sleep loss ahead, for instance during graveyard shifts. The third reason is “appetitive drive”, which essentially is about desire: you get a moment to doze during the day, and it's pleasant to nap.”
The initial step to do, so, is consider your nap motivation. “Naps can be genuinely useful when night sleeping gets interrupted for reasons outside your control – such as, for a parent of a newborn, or recovering after being ill or intense exercise,” states a sleep specialist. “However, if you take a nap because your sleep at night seems unreliable or unreliable, that can be a sign your body's sleep pressure is not as strong as it should be. Under those circumstances, napping can become a contributing factor, instead of the fix. Utilize daytime sleep as a temporary measure for short-term problems – the focus must always be a robust and regular sleep at night.”
The Ideal Nap Length
This implies that daytime sleep must not be long enough to disrupt your sleep at night, and preferably should not occur post-3 p.m. (based on what time you retire in the evening). What's a reasonable length? Recommendations vary. In one of the most referenced research regarding daytime sleep, researchers at Nasa noted that space travelers showed up to a 54% increase in alertness plus a 34% rise in cognitive performance post a 26-minute snooze (in detail, this included an initial six-minute nodding-off period). “I’d suggest setting a timer for 20 to 30 minutes – many individuals fall asleep in under ten minutes,” says a specialist. “You'll find much recommendations concerning the optimal amount for sleeping, however, that can cause people to feel more worried than anything else – and the least helpful action you can do when trying to nod off is to stress over it.”
If you plan to take an extended nap, bypass the 45 to 60 minute range that induces that sluggish feeling, that spaced-out feeling upon waking. “Research indicates it is preferable to take a lengthier snooze lasting 60-90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” notes the sleep scientist. “45 minutes is long enough to send you into a deep sleep stage and it is more probable to feel groggy upon awakening – however, if you nap for slightly longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you will probably to be completing of a sleep cycle and are likely to awaken feeling more refreshed. Though if you’re sleeping for 90 minutes, it can influence how you sleep that night.”
Finding the Perfect Snooze Setting
Regarding specific techniques, suggestions are diverse. Some experts suggest employing comparable habits one would use to promote restful sleep: a peaceful area, a supportive surface and minimal light as is feasible. Others suggest that it's fine to simply nap on a couch in the existing light is present – to prevent post-nap grogginess and to preserve your bedroom as the environment you associate with proper sleep. “Sleep is something really tricky to command,” notes a sleep coach. “If you don’t have any drowsiness, it is more challenging to lie down and basically instruct yourself to go to sleep. There must be some sleep pressure present to start the process initially. For me, it's possible to take a nap in broad daylight and naturally wake up without an alarm, but what helps a lot of people is to anticipate a moment where they feel naturally feeling a bit drowsy and calmly allow sleep to come.”
Experimentation is key, and if options are scarce – for example, if attempting to squeeze in some shut-eye while traveling or at the office – it is perfectly fine to employ some accessories. “In my work with elite athletes, I advise that they not rely on their own bed for naps, because they’re going to have|they will
