🔗 Share this article

Listen to enough performance podcasters, and it’s simple to think that a nap is a secret weapon: rather than a quick fix after poor sleep, but a route to enhanced cognition, improved mood and possibly improved athletic performance. Professional footballers are all at it – as do professional piano players, fighters & high-profile executives. Yet, when you don't have a dedicated nap-room or a career that permits regular snoozing, are there *really* sufficient advantages to a short sleep for it to be worth the effort? Is there a dependable method to fall asleep fast? And can you really guarantee you will get up feeling refreshed, rather than worse?

Identifying The Reasons for Napping

“There are three key drivers for taking a nap in the adult population,” says a professor of circadian rhythm professor. “The first is what we call recovery napping, essentially what happens after experiencing insufficient sleep the night before. The second is pre-emptive sleep, when you are anticipating a sleep deficit ahead, for instance during overnight shifts. Finally, there's “hedonic napping”, which essentially comes down to wanting: you have a chance to doze in the afternoon, and it's enjoyable to do it.”

The first thing to undertake, so, is to think about your nap motivation. “Napping can be genuinely useful when nighttime sleep is disturbed for reasons you cannot change – for example, when you are a parent of a newborn, or recovering after being ill or heavy physical exertion,” explains a sleep expert. “However, if you’re napping as your sleep at night feels fragile or unreliable, that is frequently a signal your need for sleep is not at the level required. In such situations, naps can become a contributing factor, not the solution. Use napping as a temporary measure to address immediate needs – the priority should still be a solid and consistent overnight rest.”

The Ideal Snooze Time

Therefore that daytime sleep shouldn’t be sufficiently lengthy to disrupt your overnight rest, and best should not occur after about 3pm (depending on when you retire at night). What's a reasonable length? Recommendations vary. In one of the most-cited studies on the subject, researchers at Nasa found that crew members had up to a 54% increase in alertness and a 34% increase in cognitive performance following a nap of 26 minutes (technically, this included a six-minute nodding-off period). “I’d suggest setting an alarm for half an hour or less – the majority are asleep in under ten minutes,” says a sleep expert. “There is plenty of advice around concerning the perfect length of time, but that tends to make people feel more anxious than anything – and the least helpful action you can do while aiming to nod off is worry about it.”

If you plan to sleep for longer, avoid the period between 45 and 60 minutes that encourages that sluggish feeling, that foggy state upon waking. “Studies would say it's more effective to take a longer nap lasting 60-90 minutes than a medium-length one,” notes the professor. “Forty-five minutes is long enough to put you into a deep sleep stage and you’re more likely to feel groggy upon awakening – however, if you extend it a little longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you will probably to be on the end a natural sleep cycle and will probably awaken feeling more refreshed. Though if you’re sleeping for 90 minutes, it will affect how you sleep in the evening.”

Establishing the Right Nap Environment

When it comes to precise methods, recommendations vary. A few professionals suggest employing comparable habits one would use to encourage restful sleep: a quiet room, a cozy bed and as much darkness as possible. Alternatively, experts propose that you should just doze in a chair with ambient lighting happens to be around – to avoid sleep inertia and to maintain your bedroom as the space you associate with proper sleep. “Napping is quite challenging to will,” says an expert. “Lacking the urge to sleep, it is tougher to get comfortable and practically instruct yourself to fall asleep. There’s got to be a natural inclination available to bring the sleep on to begin with. Personally, I can often snooze in broad daylight and awaken on my own without a timer, however, what assists most folks is to anticipate a time that they’re naturally slightly tired and just gently ease into sleep.”

Trying different approaches is valuable, and should you have few options – such as, if you’re trying to squeeze in a quick nap during a commute or in a work pod – it's acceptable to use a few tools. “In my work with elite athletes, I advise that they avoid becoming accustomed to their own bed for naps, since they’re going to have|they will