The Secret to a Flawless Kip: When, Where and for How Long?
Tune into a few productivity gurus, and you'll be easy to think that a nap is a superpower: rather than a band-aid after poor sleep, but a route to enhanced cognition, a brighter outlook and maybe improved athletic performance. Professional footballers do it regularly – along with concert pianists, mixed martial artists and business leaders. Yet, when you don't have a special sleep space or employment that permits regular snoozing, is it *truly* sufficient advantages to a quick nap to merit the effort? Is there a dependable method to fall asleep fast? Plus, is it possible to really guarantee you will get up feeling refreshed, not worse?
Exploring The Reasons for Napping
“There are three main reasons for daytime sleep among most adults,” notes a leading circadian rhythm professor. “The first is what we call make-up sleep, that is what you do when you’ve had a lack of sleep overnight. Secondly, there's pre-emptive sleep, which involves preparing for sleep loss coming up, for example when working graveyard shifts. The third reason is “pleasure-based sleep”, which simply is about wanting: you have a chance to sleep in the afternoon, and it's pleasant to indulge.”
The initial step to undertake, then, is consider your nap motivation. “Daytime sleep can be really helpful when overnight rest is being disrupted due to causes you cannot change – for instance, for caring for an infant, or you’re recovering after being ill or intense exercise,” explains a sleep physiologist. “However, if you nap because your sleep at night feels fragile or unreliable, that is frequently a signal your need for sleep is not where it needs to be. In those cases, napping can become a contributing factor, rather than the answer. Employ naps as a temporary measure to address immediate needs – the priority should still be a solid and consistent night’s sleep.”
The Optimal Nap Length
Therefore that naps must not be too extended to disrupt your nighttime sleep, and ideally should not occur in the late afternoon (depending on when you retire overnight). How long is sensible? Guidelines are mixed. In one of a prominent study on the subject, space agency scientists noted that astronauts had a boost of up to 54% in vigilance plus a 34% rise in cognitive performance after a 26-minute nap (technically, this included a six-minute long sleep onset time). “I’d suggest setting an alarm for 20-30 minutes – most people fall asleep in under ten minutes,” notes a sleep expert. “You'll find much recommendations concerning the perfect length of time, yet that often make people feel more worried than anything else – and the worst thing one can do when trying to fall asleep is to be anxious.”
If you plan to take an extended nap, avoid the 45 to 60 minute range that induces that sluggish feeling, that disoriented sensation when you awaken. “The science would say it is preferable to take an extended nap lasting 60-90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” says the professor. “Three-quarters of an hour is enough time to plunge you into a deep sleep stage and it is more probable to feel disoriented when you wake up – however, if you nap for a little longer to a full sleep cycle, it's likely you'll to be completing a full cycle and will probably awaken feeling more rejuvenated. But if you're dozing for 90 minutes, it can influence your sleep that night.”
Finding an Ideal Nap Environment
When it comes to specific techniques, advice differs. Some experts suggest using similar routines you’d use to promote quality nighttime sleep: a quiet room, a comfortable bed and as much darkness as possible. Some advise that you should merely snooze in a chair in whatever light happens to be around – to avoid post-nap grogginess and to “protect” your bedroom as the environment your mind associates with proper sleep. “Sleep is something really tricky to command,” says a specialist. “Without the urge to sleep, it is more challenging to lie down and practically instruct yourself to go to sleep. You need a natural inclination available to start the process initially. For me, it's possible to snooze in full light and awaken on my own without a timer, though, what aids a lot of people is to wait for a moment that they’re naturally somewhat sleepy and calmly allow sleep to come.”
It’s worth experimenting, and when options are scarce – for instance, if you’re trying to squeeze in some shut-eye on a train or in a soundproof office pod – it is perfectly fine with bringing a few tools. “In my work with elite athletes, I advise that they not rely on their own bed for naps, since they’re going to have|they will
