The Formula to a Perfect Snooze: When, Location & Duration?
Listen to enough performance gurus, and it’s tempting to believe that a nap is a superpower: more than a quick fix following restless night, but a shortcut towards improved recall, improved mood and possibly quicker running times. Professional soccer players swear by it – as do professional piano players, UFC champions and media moguls. But if you lack a room for napping or a career that encourages frequent naps, are there *really* enough benefits to a short sleep to merit the hassle? Does there exist a surefire technique to nod off promptly? And can you truly ensure you will get up feeling better, rather than worse?
Identifying The Nap Motivation
“There are three key drivers for napping for many people,” notes a professor of sleep and circadian science researcher. “The first is what we call make-up sleep, that is what happens following a lack of sleep overnight. The second is preparatory napping, where you are preparing for sleep loss ahead, for instance when working on night shifts. The third is called “pleasure-based sleep”, which essentially is about desire: there is an opportunity to doze in the daytime, and it feels nice to indulge.”
The initial step to undertake, so, is consider your reason for napping. “Napping can be really helpful when nighttime sleep is being disrupted for reasons outside your control – such as, if you’re a new parent, or you’re recovering from sickness or intense exercise,” states a sleep specialist. “Yet when you take a nap because your night sleep is unstable or broken, that is frequently a signal your body's sleep pressure is not at the level required. In such situations, naps can become a contributing factor, instead of the fix. Employ naps for brief periods for short-term problems – the focus must always be a robust and regular night’s sleep.”
The Perfect Nap Length
This implies that daytime sleep shouldn’t be sufficiently lengthy to disrupt your nighttime sleep, and ideally shouldn’t take place post-3 p.m. (based on what time you retire at night). What duration is wise? Recommendations vary. Among the most referenced research about napping, space agency scientists discovered that astronauts experienced up to a 54% increase in alertness plus a 34% rise in cognitive performance post a 26-minute snooze (technically, this involved an initial six-minute nodding-off period). “I recommend using an alarm for half an hour or less – most people doze off quickly,” notes a specialist. “You'll find much advice around regarding the ideal number of time, yet that often cause people to feel more worried than anything else – and the most counterproductive thing one can do when trying to nod off is to stress over it.”
If you plan to sleep for longer, bypass the 45 to 60 minute range that induces that sluggish feeling, that foggy state upon waking. “Research indicates it's more effective to have a lengthier snooze of 60 to 90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” says the professor. “Forty-five minutes is long enough to plunge you into deep sleep and it is more probable to feel groggy when you wake up – while if you take it a little longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you will probably to be on the end of a sleep cycle and are likely to wake up feeling more rejuvenated. Though if you’re sleeping for 90 minutes, it will affect your sleep that night.”
Establishing an Ideal Snooze Setting
When it comes to specific techniques, suggestions are diverse. Some experts propose employing similar routines you’d use to promote a good night’s sleep: a quiet room, a supportive surface and as much darkness as is feasible. Others suggest that one could just doze on a couch in whatever light is present – both to discourage that groggy feeling and to “protect” your bedroom as the place your brain links with proper sleep. “Napping is quite challenging to will,” notes a specialist. “If you don’t have any sleepiness, it is more challenging to get comfortable and essentially tell yourself to fall asleep. There must be a natural inclination present to initiate sleep in the first place. For me, it's possible to snooze during the day and wake up naturally alarm-free, though, what aids most folks is to look for a moment when they are naturally somewhat sleepy and calmly allow sleep to come.”
It’s worth experimenting, and should you have few options – for instance, if attempting to grab a quick nap during a commute or at the office – it is perfectly fine with bringing sleep aids. “In my work with footballers, I recommend that they don’t get used to napping in bed, as they’re going to have|they will
