The Secret to a Flawless Kip: Timing, Where and for How Long?
Listen to enough performance experts, and you'll be simple to convince yourself that napping is a superpower: more than a sticking plaster following restless night, but a route towards improved recall, a brighter outlook and maybe improved athletic performance. Elite footballers are all at it – and so are concert pianists, fighters & media moguls. Yet, when you haven’t got a room for napping or a career that permits regular snoozing, are there *really* enough benefits to a burst of shut-eye to justify the kerfuffle? Can you find a surefire technique to nod off promptly? Furthermore, can you honestly promise you will get up feeling better, instead of groggy?
Identifying Your Nap Motivation
“We can identify three primary motivations for taking a nap for many people,” says a professor of sleep and circadian science researcher. “One is termed compensatory napping, that is the action you take following poor sleep overnight. Secondly, there's preparatory napping, where you are anticipating sleep loss in the future, for instance when working graveyard shifts. The third reason is “appetitive drive”, which essentially boils down to the wish: you get a chance to sleep in the daytime, and it feels nice to do it.”
The first thing to do, so, is to examine your reason for napping. “Naps can be truly beneficial when nighttime sleep gets interrupted because of factors beyond your control – for example, if you’re a new parent, or recovering from illness or heavy physical exertion,” says a sleep specialist. “But if you’re napping since your sleep at night feels fragile or poor, that can be a signal your body's sleep pressure is not where it should be. In those cases, napping can become a contributing factor, not the solution. Employ naps as a short-term solution to address immediate needs – the priority should still be a robust and regular night’s sleep.”
The Optimal Nap Duration
This means that naps shouldn’t be long enough to disrupt your nighttime sleep, and ideally should not occur in the late afternoon (based on the time you go to bed at night). What's a reasonable length? Guidelines are mixed. In one of a prominent study on the subject, space agency scientists discovered that astronauts showed improvements of over 50% in attentiveness plus a 34% rise in cognitive performance post a 26-minute snooze (technically, this involved a six-minute long falling asleep phase). “I’d suggest using an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – many individuals are asleep in under ten minutes,” notes a sleep coach. “You'll find much advice around concerning the optimal amount for sleeping, but that tends to lead individuals to become more worried above all – and the most counterproductive thing you can possibly do when trying to fall asleep is to be anxious.”
If you’re going to nap for a longer period, bypass the period between 45 and 60 minutes that encourages sleep inertia, that disoriented sensation upon waking. “Studies suggests it is preferable to opt for a lengthier snooze of 60 to 90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” notes the sleep scientist. “Forty-five minutes is long enough to put you into a deep sleep stage and you’re more likely to feel groggy when you get up – whereas if you nap for a little longer to 60 or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to finish a full cycle and will probably awaken feeling more refreshed. Though if you're dozing for 90 minutes, it can influence the quality of your sleep that night.”
Finding an Ideal Snooze Setting
Regarding specific techniques, recommendations vary. Certain specialists recommend employing similar routines you’d use to promote quality nighttime sleep: a peaceful area, a supportive surface and minimal light as is feasible. Alternatively, experts propose that it's fine to simply nap in a chair with ambient lighting is present – to avoid that groggy feeling and to preserve your sleeping quarters as the environment your mind associates with nighttime rest. “Falling asleep is notoriously difficult to force,” explains an expert. “Without the urge to sleep, it is tougher to lie down and essentially command yourself to nod off. There’s got to be some sleep pressure available to initiate sleep to begin with. Personally, I can often snooze in full light and wake up naturally without a timer, however, what assists a lot of people is to look for a moment when they are naturally slightly tired and just gently ease into sleep.”
It’s worth experimenting, and when you have few options – such as, if attempting to grab a quick nap while traveling or in a work pod – it is perfectly fine to employ sleep aids. “In my work with professional sportspeople, I suggest that they avoid becoming accustomed to napping in bed, because they’re going to have|they will
