The Formula for a Perfect Snooze: Timing, Location & for How Long?
Hear enough performance gurus, and it’s simple to believe that napping is a powerful tool: rather than a band-aid after poor sleep, but a path to improved recall, improved mood and maybe quicker running times. Professional footballers do it regularly – and so are professional piano players, fighters & media moguls. But if you don't have a dedicated nap-room or employment that permits regular snoozing, can there *honestly* enough benefits to a short sleep to justify the hassle? Is there a surefire technique to fall asleep fast? Plus, is it possible to really guarantee you will get up feeling improved, rather than worse?
Understanding The Nap Motivation
“We can identify three key drivers for taking a nap for many people,” explains a professor of sleep and circadian science professor. “Firstly, there's termed compensatory napping, which is what you do after experiencing insufficient sleep overnight. Secondly, there's prophylactic napping, where you are pre-empting insufficient sleep ahead, for instance if you’re working on night shifts. Finally, there's “hedonic napping”, which basically boils down to wanting: you get an opportunity to nap in the daytime, and it's enjoyable to indulge.”
The initial step to consider, therefore, is consider why you want to nap. “Napping can be really helpful when night sleeping gets interrupted for reasons you cannot change – such as, if you’re a new parent, or recovering from illness or intense exercise,” explains a sleep specialist. “However, if you nap as your sleep at night feels fragile or broken, that’s often a signal your sleep drive is not where it should be. Under those circumstances, naps can become a contributing factor, instead of the fix. Use napping as a temporary measure for short-term problems – the focus must always be a solid and consistent overnight rest.”
The Perfect Nap Duration
Therefore that napping ought not to be long enough to disrupt your sleep at night, and preferably are not recommended post-3 p.m. (depending on what time you sleep at night). What duration is wise? Guidelines are mixed. From the most-cited studies regarding daytime sleep, experts discovered that space travelers experienced a boost of up to 54% in attentiveness and a 34% boost in performance after a 26-minute nap (to be precise, this included a six-minute nodding-off period). “My advice is setting a timer for 20-30 minutes – most people are asleep quickly,” notes a specialist. “You'll find much recommendations about the optimal amount of time, however, that can cause people to feel more worried than anything – and the most counterproductive thing one can do while aiming to get to sleep is to stress over it.”
If you’re going to nap for a longer period, avoid the 45 to 60 minute range that induces sleep inertia, that disoriented sensation upon waking. “The science would say it is preferable to have a lengthier snooze of one to one and a half hours rather than a mid-length nap,” says the professor. “45 minutes is sufficient to put you into slow-wave sleep making it more likely to feel sluggish when you wake up – whereas if you take it slightly longer to a full sleep cycle, it's likely you'll to be completing a full cycle and are likely to get up feeling more refreshed. Though if you nap for an hour and a half, it will affect the quality of your sleep later that night.”
Establishing the Right Snooze Setting
Regarding exact methodologies, advice differs. Some experts recommend employing comparable habits one would use to foster restful sleep: a quiet room, a comfortable bed and maximum darkness as is feasible. Others suggest that it's fine to just doze on the sofa in the existing light is available – to prevent sleep inertia and to “protect” your bed as the place your brain links with proper sleep. “Napping is something really tricky to command,” explains a sleep coach. “Without any sleepiness, it is tougher to get comfortable and basically instruct yourself to fall asleep. You need some sleep pressure present to bring the sleep on in the first place. For me, it's possible to take a nap during the day and wake up naturally without a timer, however, what assists a lot of people is to wait for an instance where they feel naturally somewhat sleepy and just gently allow sleep to come.”
Experimentation is key, and if your choices are limited – for instance, if you’re trying to grab a quick nap while traveling or in a work pod – it is perfectly fine to use some accessories. “When I’m working with elite athletes, I recommend that they don’t get used to napping in bed, as they’re going to have|they will
