Hear a few performance gurus, and it’s simple to think that dozing is a secret weapon: more than a sticking plaster following a bad night’s sleep, but a shortcut to improved recall, improved mood and possibly quicker running times. Premier League athletes are all at it – as do concert pianists, fighters and high-profile executives. Yet, when you lack a special sleep space or employment that allows daytime sleep, are there *really* enough benefits to a short sleep to merit the kerfuffle? Can you find a surefire technique to get to sleep quickly enough? Plus, is it possible to truly ensure you will arise feeling better, rather than worse?
Understanding Your Nap Motivation
“We can identify three primary motivations for napping in the adult population,” explains a leading sleep and circadian science researcher. “One is termed recovery napping, essentially the action you take after experiencing poor sleep the previous night. The second is pre-emptive sleep, where you are anticipating a sleep deficit ahead, for instance during overnight shifts. The third is called “hedonic napping”, which essentially boils down to the wish: you get an opportunity to nap in the daytime, and it's enjoyable to indulge.”
The primary task to consider, then, is to examine your reason for napping. “Daytime sleep can be genuinely useful when nighttime sleep is being disrupted for reasons outside your control – for instance, if you’re a new parent, or you’re recovering after being ill or heavy physical exertion,” explains a sleep expert. “Yet when you’re napping because your nighttime sleep seems unreliable or unreliable, that’s often an indicator your body's sleep pressure is not at the level required. In such situations, daytime sleep can turn into a contributing factor, not the solution. Utilize daytime sleep as a temporary measure for temporary issues – the focus must always be a robust and regular night’s sleep.”
The Ideal Nap Length
This implies that naps shouldn’t be long enough to interfere with your overnight rest, and ideally shouldn’t take place post-3 p.m. (depending on when you go to bed at night). How long is sensible? Guidelines are mixed. From the most referenced research on the subject, researchers at Nasa discovered that crew members had improvements of over 50% in alertness and a 34% boost in performance post a 26-minute snooze (technically, this included a six-minute long sleep onset time). “My advice is setting a timer for 20 to 30 minutes – most people fall asleep quickly,” notes a sleep expert. “There is plenty of guidance out there concerning the perfect length of time, but that tends to make people feel more worried than anything – and the worst thing you can possibly do when attempting to get to sleep is to stress over it.”
Should you decide to nap for a longer period, avoid the 45 to 60 minute range that promotes that sluggish feeling, that foggy state when you awaken. “The science would say it’s better to take a lengthier snooze lasting 60-90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” notes the sleep scientist. “45 minutes is long enough to send you into a deep sleep stage making it more likely to feel sluggish when you get up – while if you take it a bit longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you’re likely to be on the end of a sleep cycle and are likely to wake up feeling more alert. But if you're dozing for a long period, it will affect your sleep later that night.”
Finding the Right Sleep Space
When it comes to specific techniques, suggestions are diverse. Some experts suggest using the same protocol you use to promote quality nighttime sleep: a peaceful area, a supportive surface and as much darkness as you can manage. Others suggest that one could just doze on the sofa in whatever light happens to be around – to avoid post-nap grogginess and to maintain your sleeping quarters as the place you associate with proper sleep. “Napping is something really tricky to will,” notes a specialist. “Lacking any drowsiness, it becomes harder to get comfortable and basically instruct yourself to fall asleep. There must be a natural inclination present to initiate sleep to begin with. Personally, I can often snooze during the day and naturally wake up alarm-free, but what helps a lot of people is to wait for a time where they feel naturally somewhat sleepy and then simply allow sleep to come.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and when you have few options – for example, if you’re trying to squeeze in a quick nap during a commute or in a soundproof office pod – there’s nothing wrong with bringing sleep aids. “When I’m working with professional sportspeople, I recommend that they don’t get used to their own bed for naps, since they’re going to have|they will
