The Secret for an Ideal Snooze: Timing, Where and Duration?
Tune into a few self-improvement podcasters, and it’s simple to believe that dozing is a superpower: more than a band-aid following poor sleep, but a route towards enhanced cognition, a brighter outlook and possibly quicker running times. Professional soccer players do it regularly – and so are concert pianists, mixed martial artists and business leaders. Yet, when you lack a room for napping or employment that permits frequent naps, are there *really* enough benefits to a quick nap to justify the hassle? Is there a dependable method to get to sleep quickly enough? Plus, is it possible to really guarantee you will get up feeling better, instead of groggy?
Exploring Your Drive to Snooze
“There are three primary motivations for napping in the adult population,” says a professor of sleep and circadian science professor. “The first is what we call recovery napping, essentially what you do when you’ve had a lack of sleep overnight. Secondly, there's prophylactic napping, when you are pre-empting sleep loss ahead, for example if you’re working on night shifts. Finally, there's “pleasure-based sleep”, which essentially boils down to the wish: there is an opportunity to nap during the day, and it feels nice to indulge.”
The first thing to do, therefore, is to examine why you want to nap. “Napping can be genuinely useful when overnight rest is disturbed because of factors outside your control – for instance, if you’re a new parent, or if you are healing from sickness or strenuous activity,” explains a sleep specialist. “Yet when you nap as your night sleep feels fragile or unreliable, that is frequently an indicator your need for sleep is not where required. Under those circumstances, daytime sleep can turn into part of the issue, instead of the fix. Utilize daytime sleep for brief periods for short-term problems – the priority must always be a solid and consistent overnight rest.”
The Optimal Nap Duration
This implies that napping must not be long enough to interfere with your nighttime sleep, and preferably shouldn’t take place post-3 p.m. (based on when you go to bed overnight). What duration is wise? Advice differs. From the most referenced research about napping, space agency scientists found that space travelers experienced a boost of up to 54% in vigilance and a 34% increase in performance after a 26-minute nap (in detail, this counted a six-minute nodding-off period). “I’d suggest setting a timer for 20-30 minutes – the majority doze off quickly,” explains a specialist. “There’s a lot of advice around about the optimal amount of time, however, that can lead individuals to become more anxious than anything – and the worst thing you can do when attempting to nod off is to be anxious.”
If you plan to nap for a longer period, avoid the period between 45 and 60 minutes that encourages sleep inertia, that disoriented sensation when you wake. “The science indicates it's more effective to have an extended nap lasting 60-90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” explains the professor. “Forty-five minutes is enough time to send you into slow-wave sleep and it is more probable to feel sluggish upon awakening – whereas 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 are likely to get up feeling more alert. However, if you’re sleeping for a long period, it can influence the quality of your sleep later that night.”
Establishing the Perfect Snooze Setting
When it comes to specific techniques, recommendations vary. Some experts recommend using similar routines you’d use to promote restful sleep: a quiet room, a cozy bed and minimal light as is feasible. Alternatively, experts propose that it's fine to merely snooze on the sofa in the existing light is available – both to discourage sleep inertia and to “protect” your bed as the space your mind associates with *real* sleep. “Falling asleep is quite challenging to command,” says a sleep coach. “If you don’t have the urge to sleep, it is tougher to lie down and practically command yourself to fall asleep. There’s got to be some sleep pressure there to bring the sleep on in the first place. For me, it's possible to take a nap during the day and awaken on my own alarm-free, however, what assists a lot of people is to anticipate a time when they are naturally somewhat sleepy and calmly relax into it.”
It’s worth experimenting, and if options are scarce – for example, when aiming to squeeze in a quick nap while traveling or in a work pod – it is perfectly fine to employ sleep aids. “In my work with elite athletes, I advise that they not rely on sleeping in their bed, as they’re going to have|they will
