Listen to enough performance podcasters, and it’s tempting to convince yourself that a nap is a superpower: not just a band-aid following poor sleep, but a shortcut towards improved recall, improved mood and maybe a faster 5k run time. Elite athletes are all at it – as do concert pianists, fighters and high-profile executives. However, if you haven’t got a room for napping or employment that encourages regular snoozing, are there *really* sufficient advantages to a short sleep for it to be worth the hassle? Can you find a reliable way to get to sleep quickly enough? Plus, is it possible to truly ensure you will get up feeling improved, rather than worse?
Understanding The Drive to Snooze
“There are three key drivers for taking a nap among most adults,” notes a leading circadian rhythm researcher. “One is known as make-up sleep, which is what you do following insufficient sleep the previous night. The second is pre-emptive sleep, when you are anticipating sleep loss ahead, for example when working on night shifts. The third reason is “pleasure-based sleep”, which basically is about wanting: you get an opportunity to sleep in the daytime, and it feels nice to do it.”
The primary task to do, then, is to examine your nap motivation. “Daytime sleep can be really helpful when night sleeping is being disrupted due to causes beyond your control – for example, if you’re a parent of a newborn, or you’re recovering after being ill or heavy physical exertion,” states a sleep expert. “However, if you take a nap since your night sleep is unstable or broken, that is frequently an indicator your sleep drive is not where it needs to be. In such situations, naps can become part of the problem, not the solution. Use napping as a short-term solution for temporary issues – the priority should still be a robust and regular night’s sleep.”
The Ideal Nap Length
This means that napping ought not to be sufficiently lengthy to affect your sleep at night, and preferably are not recommended post-3 p.m. (based on what time you sleep at night). What's a reasonable length? Advice differs. Among the most referenced research about napping, space agency scientists found that crew members experienced a boost of up to 54% in attentiveness and a 34% increase in cognitive performance after a 26-minute nap (in detail, this counted an initial six-minute sleep onset time). “I’d suggest setting a timer for half an hour or less – many individuals are asleep in under ten minutes,” says a specialist. “You'll find much guidance out there concerning the ideal number of minutes, however, that can cause people to feel more anxious than anything else – and the most counterproductive thing one can do while aiming to fall asleep is worry about it.”
If you’re going to take an extended nap, steer clear of the 45-60 minute window that encourages sleep grogginess, that spaced-out feeling upon waking. “Research would say it’s better to opt for a lengthier snooze lasting 60-90 minutes than a medium-length one,” notes the sleep scientist. “Forty-five minutes is enough time to put you into deep sleep and it is more probable to feel disoriented when you wake up – while if you extend it a bit longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you will probably to finish a natural sleep cycle and should awaken feeling more alert. However, if you nap for 90 minutes, it may impact the quality of your sleep that night.”
Establishing the Right Nap Environment
As for precise methods, advice differs. A few professionals recommend using comparable habits you’d use to foster quality nighttime sleep: a quiet room, a supportive surface and maximum darkness as is feasible. Some advise that it's fine to just doze on the sofa with ambient lighting is available – to prevent sleep inertia and to “protect” your bedroom as the environment your brain links with *real* sleep. “Napping is notoriously difficult to will,” notes an expert. “Without any sleepiness, it is more challenging to get comfortable and practically instruct yourself to fall asleep. There must be some drive there to start the process initially. I can usually snooze in broad daylight and awaken on my own without a timer, though, what aids most folks is to look for a moment when they are naturally slightly tired and then simply ease into sleep.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and should options are scarce – for example, if attempting to fit in some shut-eye on a train or in a soundproof office pod – it is perfectly fine to employ sleep aids. “In my work with elite athletes, I suggest that they avoid becoming accustomed to sleeping in their bed, as they’re going to have|they will
