Hear enough performance gurus, and it’s easy to think that dozing is a superpower: rather than a band-aid following a bad night’s sleep, but a path to a better memory, a brighter outlook and maybe a faster 5k run time. Professional footballers swear by it – along with concert pianists, fighters & high-profile executives. However, if you lack a special sleep space or a job that allows regular snoozing, can there *honestly* enough benefits to a burst of shut-eye to justify the kerfuffle? Is there a reliable way to fall asleep fast? Plus, is it possible to truly ensure you’ll wake up feeling refreshed, instead of groggy?
Understanding The Drive to Snooze
“We can identify three key drivers for taking a nap for many people,” notes a professor of sleep and circadian science researcher. “Firstly, there's known as recovery napping, that is what you do when you’ve had insufficient sleep the previous night. The second is pre-emptive sleep, which involves preparing for a sleep deficit in the future, such as if you’re working on night shifts. Finally, there's “appetitive drive”, which basically comes down to desire: you have a moment to doze in the daytime, and it's pleasant to nap.”
The first thing to do, so, is to examine your reason for napping. “Naps can be genuinely useful when overnight rest is being disrupted because of factors beyond your control – such as, if you’re caring for an infant, or you’re recovering after being ill or intense exercise,” explains a sleep expert. “Yet when you’re napping as your night sleep is unstable or broken, that’s often a signal your body's sleep pressure is not as strong as required. Under those circumstances, naps can become part of the problem, not the solution. Use napping for brief periods to address immediate needs – the priority should still be a strong and predictable overnight rest.”
The Ideal Nap Length
This implies that daytime sleep shouldn’t be too extended to affect your overnight rest, and preferably shouldn’t take place after about 3pm (contingent on what time you sleep at night). What's a reasonable length? Recommendations vary. Among a prominent study about napping, space agency scientists discovered that space travelers experienced a boost of up to 54% in alertness and a 34% boost in task performance after a 26-minute nap (to be precise, this included a six-minute falling asleep phase). “I’d suggest using an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – many individuals fall asleep within 10 minutes,” notes a specialist. “There is plenty of recommendations concerning the optimal amount of time, but that tends to make people feel more stressed above all – and the worst thing one can do when attempting to fall asleep is to stress over it.”
If you’re going to sleep for longer, bypass the period between 45 and 60 minutes that encourages that sluggish feeling, that disoriented sensation when you wake. “Studies would say it’s better to opt for a longer nap of 60 to 90 minutes than a medium-length one,” says the professor. “45 minutes is sufficient to plunge you into deep sleep and you’re more likely to feel sluggish upon awakening – whereas if you extend it a little longer to a full sleep cycle, you’re likely to finish a natural sleep cycle and are likely to awaken feeling more rejuvenated. However, if you nap for a long period, it may impact your sleep in the evening.”
Establishing the Perfect Snooze Setting
When it comes to specific techniques, recommendations vary. Some experts suggest using the same protocol you use to foster restful sleep: a quiet room, a comfortable bed and minimal light as you can manage. Alternatively, experts propose that it's fine to merely snooze on a couch in the existing light happens to be around – to avoid post-nap grogginess and to maintain your bed as the environment your brain links with nighttime rest. “Sleep is notoriously difficult to will,” explains a specialist. “Without any drowsiness, it becomes harder to recline and basically tell yourself to nod off. You need some drive available to bring the sleep on to begin with. For me, it's possible to take a nap in broad daylight and wake up naturally alarm-free, but what helps many individuals is to anticipate a time where they feel naturally slightly tired and calmly relax into it.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and should your choices are limited – for example, when aiming to squeeze in 40 winks while traveling or in a soundproof office pod – there’s nothing wrong to employ some accessories. “In my work with footballers, I advise that they not rely on their own bed for naps, because they’re going to have|they will
