The Secret for an Ideal Nap: Timing, Location and Duration?
Hear plenty of performance podcasters, making it easy to convince yourself that napping is a powerful tool: more than a band-aid following restless night, but a route to a better memory, improved mood and maybe a faster 5k run time. Elite soccer players do it regularly – along with concert pianists, UFC champions & business leaders. However, if you don't have a room for napping or a job that allows daytime sleep, can there *honestly* worthwhile perks to a short sleep to justify the effort? Is there a surefire technique to nod off promptly? Plus, is it possible to honestly promise you will get up feeling improved, instead of groggy?
Understanding Your Reasons for Napping
“Experts note three main reasons for napping for many people,” says an expert sleep science professor. “The first is termed compensatory napping, that is the action you take when you’ve had a lack of sleep the night before. Secondly, there's preparatory napping, when you are preparing for a sleep deficit ahead, for instance during graveyard shifts. The third reason is “pleasure-based sleep”, which simply boils down to the wish: you get a chance to sleep during the day, and it's pleasant to indulge.”
The first thing to do, so, is consider why you want to nap. “Naps can be truly beneficial when nighttime sleep gets interrupted due to causes you cannot change – such as, for a new parent, or you’re recovering from sickness or intense exercise,” states a sleep expert. “But if you nap as your night sleep seems unreliable or poor, that’s often an indicator your body's sleep pressure is not where it needs to be. In such situations, napping can become part of the problem, rather than the answer. Utilize daytime sleep as a short-term solution to address immediate needs – the main goal ought to remain a solid and consistent sleep at night.”
The Perfect Nap Duration
Therefore that napping must not be sufficiently lengthy to interfere with your sleep at night, and ideally shouldn’t take place post-3 p.m. (based on when you sleep at night). How long is sensible? Advice differs. Among the most-cited studies about napping, experts discovered that space travelers had up to a 54% increase in alertness and a 34% increase in cognitive performance after a 26-minute nap (technically, this counted a six-minute nodding-off period). “My advice is setting an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – many individuals fall asleep in under ten minutes,” notes a specialist. “There’s a lot of recommendations concerning the ideal number of time, but that tends to lead individuals to become more anxious above all – and the most counterproductive thing one can do when trying to fall asleep is to be anxious.”
If you plan to take an extended nap, bypass the 45 to 60 minute range that promotes sleep inertia, that spaced-out feeling when you wake. “Research indicates it’s better to opt for a longer nap of 60 to 90 minutes than a medium-length one,” explains the expert. “Forty-five minutes is enough time to send you into slow-wave sleep and you’re more likely to feel groggy upon awakening – however, if you take it a bit longer to a full sleep cycle, it's likely you'll to finish a full cycle and should awaken feeling more refreshed. But if you’re sleeping for a long period, it may impact your sleep in the evening.”
Creating the Right Nap Environment
Regarding exact methodologies, recommendations vary. A few professionals recommend adopting the same protocol you’d use to encourage a good night’s sleep: a peaceful area, a supportive surface and maximum darkness as possible. Alternatively, experts propose that it's fine to merely snooze on the sofa in the existing light is available – to avoid sleep inertia and to “protect” your bedroom as the space you associate with nighttime rest. “Sleep is notoriously difficult to command,” says a specialist. “If you don’t have any drowsiness, it is tougher to lie down and practically instruct yourself to go to sleep. You need some drive there to bring the sleep on in the first place. For me, it's possible to take a nap in broad daylight and awaken on my own without an alarm, though, what aids many individuals is to look for a moment where they feel naturally slightly tired and just gently allow sleep to come.”
Experimentation is key, and when options are scarce – for instance, if you’re trying to grab 40 winks during a commute or in a soundproof office pod – it is perfectly fine with bringing some accessories. “When I’m working with footballers, I advise that they not rely on sleeping in their bed, since they’re going to have|they will
