Listen to enough productivity podcasters, and you'll be tempting to think that napping is a powerful tool: not just a sticking plaster following restless night, but a path towards enhanced cognition, a brighter outlook and possibly quicker running times. Premier League athletes are all at it – as do professional piano players, UFC champions & high-profile executives. But if you don't have a room for napping or employment that encourages regular snoozing, are there *really* enough benefits to a quick nap for it to be worth the hassle? Can you find a reliable way to get to sleep quickly enough? Plus, is it possible to truly ensure you will get up feeling improved, rather than worse?
Understanding Your Drive to Snooze
“We can identify three key drivers for napping for many people,” explains a professor of sleep and circadian science professor. “One is known as recovery napping, which is the action you take following insufficient sleep the night before. Secondly, there's prophylactic napping, when you are pre-empting sleep loss in the future, such as if you’re working overnight shifts. The third reason is “hedonic napping”, which simply boils down to desire: you get an opportunity to doze in the afternoon, and it's enjoyable to do it.”
The first thing to consider, so, is to examine your nap motivation. “Napping can be genuinely useful when nighttime sleep is disturbed because of factors outside your control – such as, if you’re a parent of a newborn, or you’re recovering from illness or intense exercise,” says a sleep specialist. “However, if you’re napping as your nighttime sleep seems unreliable or unreliable, that’s often a sign your sleep drive is not where it needs to be. Under those circumstances, napping can become part of the issue, instead of the fix. Utilize daytime sleep as a short-term solution for short-term problems – the priority should still be a solid and consistent night’s sleep.”
The Ideal Nap Length
This means that daytime sleep shouldn’t be too extended to interfere with your nighttime sleep, and best should not occur after about 3pm (contingent on the time you retire overnight). What's a reasonable length? Recommendations vary. From a prominent study regarding daytime sleep, space agency scientists found that space travelers showed up to a 54% increase in attentiveness and a 34% increase in cognitive performance post a 26-minute snooze (technically, this included an initial six-minute nodding-off period). “I’d suggest setting an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – the majority fall asleep within 10 minutes,” says a sleep expert. “There’s a lot of guidance out there about the ideal number of minutes, however, that can make people feel more worried than anything – and the most counterproductive thing one can do when trying to fall asleep is to be anxious.”
Should you decide to take an extended nap, bypass the 45 to 60 minute range that encourages sleep inertia, that foggy state upon waking. “Studies would say it is preferable to take an extended nap of 60 to 90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” notes the professor. “Three-quarters of an hour is enough time to put you into a deep sleep stage and it is more probable to feel groggy when you get up – whereas if you nap for a little longer to 60 or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to be completing of a sleep cycle and are likely to awaken feeling more alert. However, if you nap for 90 minutes, it will affect your sleep later that night.”
Finding the Right Nap Environment
Regarding specific techniques, recommendations vary. Certain specialists suggest adopting similar routines you use to foster quality nighttime sleep: a peaceful area, a comfortable bed and maximum darkness as is feasible. Alternatively, experts propose that it's fine to just doze on a couch in whatever light is present – to avoid post-nap grogginess and to maintain your bed as the place your brain links with *real* sleep. “Napping is notoriously difficult to force,” explains an expert. “Lacking the urge to sleep, it is tougher to recline and essentially tell yourself to go to sleep. You need some drive there to start the process in the first place. For me, it's possible to take a nap in full light and wake up naturally without an alarm, though, what aids many individuals is to wait for a time when they are naturally somewhat sleepy and calmly ease into sleep.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and when your choices are limited – such as, when aiming to squeeze in some shut-eye on a train or in a soundproof office pod – it's acceptable to employ sleep aids. “When I’m working with elite athletes, I advise that they don’t get used to their own bed for naps, as they’re going to have|they will
