Tune into plenty of performance gurus, and it’s tempting to think that napping is a powerful tool: rather than a quick fix after restless night, but a shortcut towards enhanced cognition, a brighter outlook and perhaps a faster 5k run time. Professional footballers are all at it – as do concert pianists, UFC champions and high-profile executives. However, if you don't have a special sleep space or employment that encourages frequent naps, are there *really* worthwhile perks to a quick nap to merit the effort? Can you find a surefire technique to nod off promptly? Plus, is it possible to really guarantee you will arise feeling better, not worse?
Identifying The Reasons for Napping
“There are three key drivers for daytime sleep for many people,” says an expert sleep science specialist. “One is what we call compensatory napping, which is what you do after experiencing a lack of sleep the night before. Secondly, there's pre-emptive sleep, where you are pre-empting insufficient sleep coming up, for example during overnight shifts. The third reason is “appetitive drive”, which basically boils down to wanting: you get an opportunity to sleep in the afternoon, and it's enjoyable to do it.”
The first thing to consider, so, is to examine your nap motivation. “Naps can be genuinely useful when night sleeping is being disrupted due to causes you cannot change – such as, for caring for an infant, or you’re recovering from illness or intense exercise,” says a sleep expert. “But if you nap as your sleep at night is unstable or unreliable, that can be a signal your sleep drive is not where required. In such situations, naps can become part of the issue, not the solution. Employ naps as a temporary measure for temporary issues – the priority should still be a solid and consistent overnight rest.”
The Perfect Nap Duration
This implies that napping ought not to be sufficiently lengthy to disrupt your overnight rest, and best should not occur post-3 p.m. (depending on the time you retire at night). What duration is wise? Guidelines are mixed. In one of the most-cited studies on the subject, space agency scientists discovered that space travelers showed a boost of up to 54% in alertness and a 34% increase in cognitive performance after a 26-minute nap (to be precise, this involved a six-minute nodding-off period). “My advice is setting a timer for 20-30 minutes – many individuals are asleep in under ten minutes,” says a sleep coach. “There is plenty of guidance out there regarding the perfect length of minutes, but that tends to make people feel more stressed than anything – and the most counterproductive thing you can do when trying to nod off is worry about it.”
Should you decide to sleep for longer, avoid the 45-60 minute window that encourages that sluggish feeling, that disoriented sensation when you wake. “The science indicates it's more effective to opt for an extended nap of one to one and a half hours compared to a medium-length nap,” notes the expert. “Three-quarters of an hour is sufficient to send you into a deep sleep stage and it is more probable to feel disoriented upon awakening – however, if you nap for slightly longer to a full sleep cycle, you’re likely to be on the end a full cycle and are likely to get up feeling more alert. However, if you’re sleeping for a long period, it can influence your sleep later that night.”
Creating the Perfect Nap Environment
Regarding exact methodologies, advice differs. A few professionals recommend adopting similar routines you use to foster quality nighttime sleep: a peaceful area, a supportive surface and as much darkness as you can manage. Alternatively, experts propose that it's fine to merely snooze on a couch in whatever light happens to be around – both to discourage sleep inertia and to maintain your bed as the space your mind associates with nighttime rest. “Napping is notoriously difficult to will,” says an expert. “Lacking any sleepiness, it becomes harder to lie down and basically command yourself to nod off. You need some sleep pressure present to initiate sleep initially. Personally, I can often snooze during the day and wake up naturally alarm-free, though, what aids a lot of people is to look for a moment where they feel naturally feeling a bit drowsy and then simply allow sleep to come.”
It’s worth experimenting, and when you have few options – for example, if you’re trying to fit in some shut-eye on a train or at the office – it's acceptable to use some accessories. “Coaching professional sportspeople, I advise that they not rely on napping in bed, since they’re going to have|they will
