Hear a few productivity podcasters, making it tempting to think that a nap is a powerful tool: not just a band-aid after restless night, but a path towards enhanced cognition, a brighter outlook and possibly quicker running times. Elite athletes do it regularly – along with professional piano players, UFC champions & high-profile executives. Yet, when you don't have a room for napping or employment that encourages regular snoozing, can there *honestly* worthwhile perks to a short sleep for it to be worth the hassle? Does there exist a dependable method to fall asleep fast? Plus, is it possible to truly ensure you’ll wake up feeling improved, rather than worse?
Understanding Your Reasons for Napping
“We can identify three primary motivations for napping for many people,” notes a leading sleep and circadian science researcher. “The first is known as recovery napping, essentially what you do when you’ve had a lack of sleep the previous night. Secondly, there's prophylactic napping, which involves anticipating insufficient sleep coming up, for instance if you’re working on night shifts. The third is called “hedonic napping”, which essentially is about the wish: there is a chance to doze in the daytime, and it's enjoyable to nap.”
The initial step to do, then, is consider why you want to nap. “Naps can be truly beneficial when night sleeping is disturbed due to causes outside your control – for example, for a parent of a newborn, or recovering from sickness or intense exercise,” says a sleep physiologist. “Yet when you’re napping since your night sleep is unstable or broken, that can be a sign your body's sleep pressure is not at the level it should be. In such situations, napping can become part of the problem, rather than the answer. Utilize daytime sleep as a temporary measure to address immediate needs – the main goal should still be a solid and consistent overnight rest.”
The Perfect Snooze Time
Therefore that naps ought not to be sufficiently lengthy to disrupt your nighttime sleep, and ideally should not occur in the late afternoon (based on the time you go to bed overnight). How long is sensible? Guidelines are mixed. From a prominent study about napping, researchers at Nasa found that space travelers had up to a 54% increase in vigilance plus a 34% rise in cognitive performance after a 26-minute nap (in detail, this counted an initial six-minute nodding-off period). “I’d suggest setting a timer for 20 to 30 minutes – many individuals fall asleep quickly,” explains a sleep expert. “There’s a lot of guidance out there concerning the optimal amount of minutes, however, that can make people feel more anxious than anything else – and the worst thing you can possibly do when attempting to get to sleep is to be anxious.”
Should you decide to nap for a longer period, steer clear of the period between 45 and 60 minutes that induces that sluggish feeling, that foggy state when you awaken. “Studies suggests it's more effective to take an extended nap of 60 to 90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” notes the professor. “45 minutes is enough time to plunge you into slow-wave sleep and it is more probable to feel disoriented upon awakening – while if you nap for a little longer to 60 or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to be on the end of a sleep cycle and should get up feeling more rejuvenated. However, if you're dozing for a long period, it can influence the quality of your sleep that night.”
Establishing the Perfect Snooze Setting
As for exact methodologies, suggestions are diverse. A few professionals suggest employing similar routines one would use to encourage restful sleep: a peaceful area, a supportive surface and as much darkness as possible. Some advise that you should merely snooze on the sofa in whatever light is present – to prevent post-nap grogginess and to maintain your bed as the place your brain links with nighttime rest. “Napping is quite challenging to command,” notes a specialist. “Without any sleepiness, it is more challenging to get comfortable and basically instruct yourself to nod off. There must be some drive there to initiate sleep initially. I can usually nap in full light and naturally wake up without a timer, though, what aids most folks is to wait for a time when they are naturally feeling a bit drowsy and then simply allow sleep to come.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and when you have few options – such as, when aiming to grab 40 winks during a commute or in a work pod – it is perfectly fine to employ some accessories. “When I’m working with elite athletes, I suggest that they don’t get used to sleeping in their bed, because they’re going to have|they will
