Hear enough productivity podcasters, making it simple to think that dozing is a secret weapon: more than a sticking plaster after a bad night’s sleep, but a shortcut to enhanced cognition, improved mood and possibly improved athletic performance. Elite athletes are all at it – along with concert pianists, UFC champions and high-profile executives. However, if you lack a special sleep space or a job that encourages frequent naps, is it *truly* sufficient advantages to a short sleep for it to be worth the hassle? Is there a reliable way to nod off promptly? Plus, is it possible to really guarantee you will get up feeling refreshed, not worse?
Understanding The Drive to Snooze
“Experts note three key drivers for napping for many people,” notes a leading circadian rhythm specialist. “One is termed recovery napping, which is the action you take after experiencing a lack of sleep overnight. Another is preparatory napping, where you are preparing for insufficient sleep coming up, for example when working on night shifts. The third is called “hedonic napping”, which basically boils down to the wish: you get an opportunity to nap in the daytime, and it's enjoyable to indulge.”
The primary task to undertake, then, is to examine your nap motivation. “Naps can be really helpful when nighttime sleep is being disrupted because of factors outside your control – for example, if you’re caring for an infant, or you’re recovering from illness or strenuous activity,” says a sleep specialist. “But if you nap as your sleep at night is unstable or broken, that is frequently a signal your sleep drive is not as strong as it should be. In those cases, naps can become part of the issue, rather than the answer. Use napping as a short-term solution to address immediate needs – the main goal ought to remain a solid and consistent sleep at night.”
The Optimal Snooze Time
This implies that napping shouldn’t be too extended to affect your overnight rest, and best are not recommended in the late afternoon (depending on the time you go to bed at night). What duration is wise? Guidelines are mixed. Among a prominent study regarding daytime sleep, space agency scientists found that astronauts showed a boost of up to 54% in attentiveness and a 34% increase in task performance after a 26-minute nap (to be precise, this included an initial six-minute falling asleep phase). “My advice is setting an alarm for 20-30 minutes – most people fall asleep in under ten minutes,” notes a sleep coach. “There’s a lot of recommendations regarding the optimal amount of time, however, that can cause people to feel more anxious above all – and the least helpful action one can do while aiming to fall asleep is to be anxious.”
Should you decide to sleep for longer, avoid the 45-60 minute window that encourages that sluggish feeling, that foggy state when you wake. “Research suggests it’s better to opt for a longer nap of 60 to 90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” explains the professor. “Three-quarters of an hour is long enough to send you into slow-wave sleep and it is more probable to feel groggy when you get up – while 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 awaken feeling more alert. However, if you’re sleeping for a long period, it may impact your sleep in the evening.”
Finding an Ideal Sleep Space
Regarding specific techniques, advice differs. Certain specialists recommend adopting the same protocol you’d use to foster restful sleep: a quiet room, a comfortable bed and maximum darkness as is feasible. Some advise that one could simply nap on a couch with ambient lighting happens to be around – to prevent post-nap grogginess and to “protect” your sleeping quarters as the space your mind associates with *real* sleep. “Falling asleep is notoriously difficult to force,” explains a specialist. “Lacking the urge to sleep, it is tougher to get comfortable and practically tell yourself to nod off. There’s got to be some drive present to initiate sleep in the first place. Personally, I can often snooze in full light and wake up naturally without a timer, though, what aids many individuals is to anticipate a moment when they are naturally slightly tired and then simply allow sleep to come.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and should your choices are limited – such as, if you’re trying to squeeze in some shut-eye during a commute or at the office – it is perfectly fine to use sleep aids. “When I’m working with elite athletes, I suggest that they avoid becoming accustomed to sleeping in their bed, since they’re going to have|they will
