Listen to enough productivity gurus, making it tempting to think that dozing is a superpower: rather than a band-aid after a bad night’s sleep, but a route towards a better memory, a brighter outlook and perhaps a faster 5k run time. Elite athletes do it regularly – along with concert pianists, mixed martial artists & high-profile executives. However, if you lack a special sleep space or a career that permits daytime sleep, can there *honestly* sufficient advantages to a short sleep to merit the effort? Does there exist a surefire technique to get to sleep quickly enough? Plus, is it possible to honestly promise you will arise feeling refreshed, instead of groggy?
Understanding Your Reasons for Napping
“Experts note three key drivers for taking a nap for many people,” says a leading sleep and circadian science specialist. “The first is known as make-up sleep, essentially what happens following insufficient sleep the previous night. The second is pre-emptive sleep, which involves pre-empting a sleep deficit in the future, such as during overnight shifts. The third is called “appetitive drive”, which simply is about desire: you have an opportunity to sleep in the daytime, and it feels nice to indulge.”
The initial step to do, therefore, is to think about why you want to nap. “Daytime sleep can be genuinely useful when overnight rest is disturbed due to causes you cannot change – such as, if you’re caring for an infant, or recovering from sickness or intense exercise,” explains a sleep physiologist. “But if you take a nap since your nighttime sleep feels fragile or unreliable, that’s often a sign your body's sleep pressure is not at the level it needs to be. In such situations, napping can become part of the problem, rather than the answer. Employ naps as a temporary measure for temporary issues – the focus must always be a solid and consistent overnight rest.”
The Optimal Snooze Time
This means that daytime sleep ought not to be too extended to interfere with your nighttime sleep, and ideally are not recommended in the late afternoon (depending on when you sleep at night). What duration is wise? Guidelines are mixed. In one of a prominent study regarding daytime sleep, researchers at Nasa found that space travelers had up to a 54% increase in attentiveness and a 34% increase in task performance following a nap of 26 minutes (technically, this included an initial six-minute nodding-off period). “I recommend using an alarm for 20-30 minutes – most people doze off within 10 minutes,” notes a sleep coach. “There is plenty of advice around regarding the optimal amount of minutes, however, that can cause people to feel more worried above all – and the worst thing one can do when attempting to nod off is to stress over it.”
If you’re going to sleep for longer, steer clear of the 45-60 minute window that promotes sleep inertia, that spaced-out feeling when you awaken. “The science indicates it’s better to take a lengthier snooze of 60 to 90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” explains the professor. “45 minutes is enough time to plunge you into deep sleep and you’re more likely to feel groggy when you wake up – however, if you take it slightly longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you’re likely to finish a natural sleep cycle and will probably get up feeling more rejuvenated. Though if you're dozing for 90 minutes, it will affect your sleep later that night.”
Creating the Perfect Snooze Setting
Regarding precise methods, suggestions are diverse. Certain specialists recommend adopting similar routines one would use to promote quality nighttime sleep: a quiet room, a cozy bed and as much darkness as you can manage. Alternatively, experts propose that it's fine to just doze on the sofa with ambient lighting is available – both to discourage post-nap grogginess and to preserve your bedroom as the place you associate with nighttime rest. “Falling asleep is notoriously difficult to force,” notes a specialist. “Without any drowsiness, it is more challenging to recline and basically command yourself to go to sleep. You need a natural inclination there to bring the sleep on in the first place. Personally, I can often take a nap in broad daylight and naturally wake up without a timer, but what helps many individuals is to look for a time that they’re naturally feeling a bit drowsy and just gently ease into sleep.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and should options are scarce – such as, if you’re trying to squeeze in a quick nap during a commute or in a work pod – there’s nothing wrong to use a few tools. “When I’m working with elite athletes, I advise that they avoid becoming accustomed to sleeping in their bed, because they’re going to have|they will
