Hear plenty of self-improvement podcasters, making it tempting to believe that napping is a superpower: not just a quick fix after restless night, but a shortcut to a better memory, better spirits and possibly a faster 5k run time. Professional athletes are all at it – and so are concert pianists, fighters and high-profile executives. Yet, when you lack a dedicated nap-room or a career that encourages frequent naps, is it *truly* worthwhile perks to a quick nap to merit the effort? Can you find a reliable way to get to sleep quickly enough? And can you really guarantee you will get up feeling better, rather than worse?
Identifying Your Nap Motivation
“There are three primary motivations for daytime sleep in the adult population,” explains an expert sleep and circadian science professor. “Firstly, there's known as compensatory napping, essentially what you do following a lack of sleep the previous night. Secondly, there's prophylactic napping, when you are preparing for a sleep deficit in the future, for instance when working on night shifts. The third reason is “pleasure-based sleep”, which essentially comes down to the wish: you get a chance to nap in the afternoon, and it's pleasant to do it.”
The first thing to consider, therefore, is to think about your reason for napping. “Napping can be genuinely useful when nighttime sleep gets interrupted because of factors beyond your control – for example, for a new parent, or you’re recovering after being ill or heavy physical exertion,” says a sleep specialist. “However, if you nap since your sleep at night is unstable or unreliable, that can be a sign your sleep drive is not as strong as required. In those cases, daytime sleep can turn into part of the problem, rather than the answer. Use napping as a short-term solution for short-term problems – the focus ought to remain a robust and regular sleep at night.”
The Perfect Nap Length
This implies that naps ought not to be sufficiently lengthy to interfere with your overnight rest, and preferably are not recommended after about 3pm (based on when you sleep overnight). What's a reasonable length? Guidelines are mixed. From the most-cited studies about napping, experts noted that astronauts had a boost of up to 54% in attentiveness plus a 34% rise in task performance following a nap of 26 minutes (technically, this involved an initial six-minute falling asleep phase). “I recommend setting an alarm for 20-30 minutes – the majority doze off within 10 minutes,” says a sleep coach. “You'll find much advice around about the ideal number for sleeping, but that tends to lead individuals to become more anxious than anything else – and the most counterproductive thing you can do when trying to get to sleep is to be anxious.”
Should you decide to sleep for longer, steer clear of the 45-60 minute window that induces that sluggish feeling, that disoriented sensation upon waking. “The science indicates it's more effective to take an extended nap lasting 60-90 minutes than a medium-length one,” notes the sleep scientist. “Forty-five minutes is sufficient to send you into slow-wave sleep and you’re more likely to feel sluggish upon awakening – while if you take it a bit longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you’re likely to be on the end of a sleep cycle and will probably awaken feeling more refreshed. But if you’re sleeping for a long period, it can influence how you sleep that night.”
Establishing the Right Sleep Space
Regarding specific techniques, suggestions are diverse. Some experts recommend adopting similar routines you’d use to encourage restful sleep: a silent space, a supportive surface and maximum darkness as you can manage. Some advise that one could merely snooze on the sofa in whatever light is present – to avoid that groggy feeling and to “protect” your bed as the environment your mind associates with *real* sleep. “Falling asleep is notoriously difficult to will,” explains an expert. “If you don’t have any drowsiness, it is tougher to get comfortable and essentially instruct yourself to go to sleep. There’s got to be a natural inclination available to bring the sleep on initially. Personally, I can often nap in broad daylight and naturally wake up without a timer, however, what assists a lot of people is to wait for a moment that they’re naturally feeling a bit drowsy and then simply ease into sleep.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and if you have few options – such as, when aiming to grab some shut-eye during a commute or in a work pod – there’s nothing wrong to use a few tools. “When I’m working with footballers, I recommend that they avoid becoming accustomed to napping in bed, as they’re going to have|they will
