Listen to plenty of self-improvement gurus, and you'll be tempting to think that dozing is a superpower: more than a band-aid following poor sleep, but a shortcut to a better memory, a brighter outlook and perhaps improved athletic performance. Premier League soccer players do it regularly – and so are musicians, UFC champions and business leaders. Yet, when you lack a room for napping or a career that encourages frequent naps, can there *honestly* enough benefits to a short sleep to merit the kerfuffle? Can you find a reliable way to get to sleep quickly enough? And can you truly ensure you will get up feeling better, instead of groggy?
Exploring Your Drive to Snooze
“There are three key drivers for daytime sleep in the adult population,” says an expert sleep and circadian science specialist. “The first is known as compensatory napping, essentially what happens after experiencing poor sleep the night before. Another is preparatory napping, when you are preparing for sleep loss ahead, such as when working on night shifts. The third reason is “pleasure-based sleep”, which simply is about wanting: you have a chance to doze in the daytime, and it feels nice to indulge.”
The initial step to consider, therefore, is to think about your reason for napping. “Daytime sleep can be truly beneficial when overnight rest is being disrupted due to causes you cannot change – such as, for caring for an infant, or you’re recovering from illness or heavy physical exertion,” says a sleep physiologist. “Yet when you’re napping because your nighttime sleep seems unreliable or poor, that’s often a sign your need for sleep is not as strong as it should be. Under those circumstances, daytime sleep can turn into part of the issue, rather than the answer. Utilize daytime sleep as a temporary measure for temporary issues – the priority must always be a solid and consistent sleep at night.”
The Perfect Snooze Time
This implies that daytime sleep ought not to be too extended to interfere with your overnight rest, and best are not recommended after about 3pm (contingent on when you retire in the evening). What's a reasonable length? Advice differs. From the most referenced research about napping, researchers at Nasa discovered that crew members showed up to a 54% increase in attentiveness and a 34% boost in task performance post a 26-minute snooze (technically, this included a six-minute long nodding-off period). “I’d suggest using an alarm for half an hour or less – most people are asleep in under ten minutes,” notes a sleep expert. “There’s a lot of advice around concerning the perfect length for sleeping, yet that often make people feel more anxious than anything else – and the most counterproductive thing you can possibly do when trying to get to sleep is to be anxious.”
Should you decide to sleep for longer, avoid the period between 45 and 60 minutes that promotes that sluggish feeling, that disoriented sensation when you awaken. “Research indicates it’s better to take a lengthier snooze of 60 to 90 minutes than a medium-length one,” notes the professor. “Forty-five minutes is sufficient to plunge you into slow-wave sleep and it is more probable to feel disoriented upon awakening – whereas if you extend it a little longer to a full sleep cycle, you’re likely to be on the end a natural sleep cycle and should awaken feeling more rejuvenated. Though if you're dozing for 90 minutes, it will affect the quality of your sleep that night.”
Establishing the Right Snooze Setting
When it comes to specific techniques, recommendations vary. A few professionals suggest using the same protocol one would use to foster a good night’s sleep: a quiet room, a comfortable bed and as much darkness as is feasible. Others suggest that you should just doze on a couch in whatever light is present – both to discourage post-nap grogginess and to preserve your sleeping quarters as the environment your mind associates with proper sleep. “Falling asleep is something really tricky to command,” explains a sleep coach. “If you don’t have any drowsiness, it is more challenging to get comfortable and essentially command yourself to fall asleep. There’s got to be some sleep pressure available to bring the sleep on initially. I can usually take a nap in broad daylight and naturally wake up without an alarm, though, what aids a lot of people is to wait for a time when they are naturally feeling a bit drowsy and just gently relax into it.”
Experimentation is key, and when options are scarce – such as, if attempting to squeeze in some shut-eye while traveling or in a work pod – there’s nothing wrong with bringing some accessories. “When I’m working with elite athletes, I suggest that they don’t get used to their own bed for naps, because they’re going to have|they will
