🔗 Share this article

Tune into a few self-improvement experts, and it’s easy to think that dozing is a superpower: rather than a quick fix following poor sleep, but a route to improved recall, improved mood and perhaps improved athletic performance. Elite footballers are all at it – and so are musicians, UFC champions and media moguls. But if you don't have a dedicated nap-room or a job that permits frequent naps, is it *truly* sufficient advantages to a short sleep to justify the hassle? Does there exist a reliable way to nod off promptly? Furthermore, can you truly ensure you will arise feeling refreshed, instead of groggy?

Identifying Your Reasons for Napping

“There are three primary motivations for daytime sleep in the adult population,” says an expert sleep science researcher. “The first is what we call recovery napping, that is what happens after experiencing a lack of sleep the previous night. Secondly, there's prophylactic napping, where you are preparing for sleep loss ahead, such as if you’re working graveyard shifts. Finally, there's “appetitive drive”, which essentially is about wanting: you get an opportunity to sleep during the day, and it feels nice to indulge.”

The primary task to do, then, is to examine your nap motivation. “Napping can be truly beneficial when night sleeping is being disrupted due to causes outside your control – such as, when you are caring for an infant, or you’re recovering from sickness or heavy physical exertion,” explains a sleep expert. “But if you’re napping as your nighttime sleep feels fragile or poor, that is frequently an indicator your body's sleep pressure is not at the level required. Under those circumstances, naps can become a contributing factor, rather than the answer. Use napping as a short-term solution to address immediate needs – the main goal should still be a solid and consistent night’s sleep.”

The Perfect Snooze Time

Therefore that naps ought not to be too extended to disrupt your sleep at night, and ideally shouldn’t take place post-3 p.m. (based on when you go to bed overnight). What's a reasonable length? Guidelines are mixed. Among a prominent study about napping, experts found that astronauts showed up to a 54% increase in attentiveness and a 34% increase in cognitive performance after a 26-minute nap (to be precise, this included an initial six-minute falling asleep phase). “I’d suggest setting an alarm for half an hour or less – the majority fall asleep quickly,” notes a sleep expert. “There is plenty of advice around concerning the optimal amount for sleeping, however, that can make people feel more anxious above all – and the most counterproductive thing one can do while aiming to fall asleep is to stress over it.”

If you’re going to nap for a longer period, bypass the 45-60 minute window that induces that sluggish feeling, that spaced-out feeling upon waking. “Research suggests it’s better to take a longer nap of 60 to 90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” says the expert. “45 minutes is long enough to plunge you into slow-wave sleep making it more likely to feel disoriented upon awakening – whereas if you take it a little longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you will probably to be on the end a natural sleep cycle and are likely to get up feeling more rejuvenated. But if you’re sleeping for a long period, it may impact how you sleep later that night.”

Finding the Perfect Nap Environment

When it comes to specific techniques, suggestions are diverse. Some experts propose employing comparable habits one would use to foster a good night’s sleep: a silent space, a cozy bed and as much darkness as possible. Others suggest that one could merely snooze on a couch in whatever light is present – to prevent that groggy feeling and to preserve your bedroom as the place you associate with *real* sleep. “Sleep is quite challenging to will,” says an expert. “Lacking any drowsiness, it is tougher to get comfortable and essentially command yourself to fall asleep. You need some drive available to initiate sleep initially. I can usually nap in broad daylight and naturally wake up without a timer, but what helps many individuals is to look for a time when they are naturally feeling a bit drowsy and calmly ease into sleep.”

Experimentation is key, and should your choices are limited – for instance, if you’re trying to fit in 40 winks on a train or at the office – there’s nothing wrong to employ sleep aids. “Coaching footballers, I recommend that they don’t get used to their own bed for naps, since they’re going to have|they will