Hear plenty of productivity podcasters, making it simple to think that napping is a superpower: not just a sticking plaster after poor sleep, but a route to enhanced cognition, better spirits and possibly improved athletic performance. Professional footballers swear by it – as do professional piano players, mixed martial artists & business leaders. But if you haven’t got a special sleep space or employment that permits frequent naps, are there *really* worthwhile perks to a short sleep to merit the hassle? Is there a surefire technique to nod off promptly? And can you honestly promise you will arise feeling better, rather than worse?
Understanding Your Nap Motivation
“We can identify three main reasons for daytime sleep in the adult population,” notes an expert sleep science professor. “Firstly, there's termed compensatory napping, that is what you do when you’ve had a lack of sleep the previous night. Secondly, there's preparatory napping, when you are anticipating a sleep deficit in the future, for instance when working graveyard shifts. The third reason is “pleasure-based sleep”, which essentially boils down to the wish: there is an opportunity to sleep during the day, and it's enjoyable to indulge.”
The initial step to do, therefore, is consider your nap motivation. “Daytime sleep can be really helpful when night sleeping is being disrupted for reasons beyond your control – for instance, if you’re a new parent, or if you are healing after being ill or intense exercise,” explains a sleep physiologist. “Yet when you’re napping as your sleep at night seems unreliable or broken, that can be a sign your sleep drive is not at the level it needs to be. In those cases, daytime sleep can turn into part of the issue, rather than the answer. Use napping for brief periods for short-term problems – the priority ought to remain a robust and regular overnight rest.”
The Optimal Nap Length
This means that napping shouldn’t be long enough to disrupt your overnight rest, and preferably are not recommended after about 3pm (depending on the time you retire overnight). What duration is wise? Advice differs. Among the most-cited studies regarding daytime sleep, researchers at Nasa discovered that astronauts had up to a 54% increase in attentiveness plus a 34% rise in task performance following a nap of 26 minutes (technically, this involved an initial six-minute falling asleep phase). “I recommend using an alarm for 20-30 minutes – most people doze off within 10 minutes,” notes a specialist. “There is plenty of guidance out there about the optimal amount of minutes, yet that often make people feel more anxious than anything – and the least helpful action you can possibly do while aiming to get to sleep is to be anxious.”
If you plan to take an extended nap, bypass the 45-60 minute window that promotes sleep inertia, that spaced-out feeling upon waking. “Studies indicates it is preferable to take a lengthier snooze lasting 60-90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” notes the expert. “Three-quarters of an hour is long enough to put you into slow-wave sleep and you’re more likely to feel groggy upon awakening – whereas if you take it a bit longer to an hour or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to finish a natural sleep cycle and will probably get up feeling more alert. However, if you're dozing for 90 minutes, it can influence the quality of your sleep in the evening.”
Creating the Right Snooze Setting
As for specific techniques, recommendations vary. Some experts recommend using the same protocol you use to promote a good night’s sleep: a peaceful area, a supportive surface and as much darkness as you can manage. Others suggest that one could merely snooze in a chair in whatever light happens to be around – both to discourage that groggy feeling and to preserve your bedroom as the space your brain links with proper sleep. “Napping is notoriously difficult to force,” notes an expert. “Without the urge to sleep, it is tougher to lie down and essentially instruct yourself to fall asleep. You need a natural inclination there to initiate sleep to begin with. Personally, I can often nap during the day and wake up naturally without an alarm, however, what assists a lot of people is to wait for an instance where they feel naturally slightly tired and calmly relax into it.”
It’s worth experimenting, and should your choices are limited – for instance, when aiming to fit in a quick nap while traveling or in a soundproof office pod – it's acceptable with bringing sleep aids. “When I’m working with professional sportspeople, I suggest that they avoid becoming accustomed to napping in bed, as they’re going to have|they will
