Listen to a few performance podcasters, making it tempting to think that dozing is a secret weapon: more than a sticking plaster after poor sleep, but a path towards enhanced cognition, a brighter outlook and maybe improved athletic performance. Premier League athletes do it regularly – as do concert pianists, mixed martial artists & high-profile executives. However, if you haven’t got a special sleep space or a career that allows regular snoozing, can there *honestly* enough benefits to a short sleep to merit the kerfuffle? Can you find a surefire technique to fall asleep fast? Plus, is it possible to really guarantee you will arise feeling better, instead of groggy?
Understanding Your Drive to Snooze
“There are three main reasons for daytime sleep among most adults,” notes an expert sleep and circadian science professor. “Firstly, there's known as recovery napping, which is the action you take when you’ve had poor sleep the previous night. The second is prophylactic napping, when you are pre-empting a sleep deficit coming up, for instance when working overnight shifts. The third reason is “hedonic napping”, which simply is about the wish: you get a moment to sleep in the afternoon, and it's enjoyable to do it.”
The first thing to consider, then, is to think about your nap motivation. “Napping can be truly beneficial when nighttime sleep is disturbed because of factors outside your control – for example, for a new parent, or recovering after being ill or heavy physical exertion,” states a sleep physiologist. “But if you take a nap since your night sleep seems unreliable or poor, that is frequently an indicator your body's sleep pressure is not as strong as it needs to be. In those cases, daytime sleep can turn into a contributing factor, instead of the fix. Use napping as a temporary measure for short-term problems – the priority should still be a strong and predictable overnight rest.”
The Ideal Snooze Time
Therefore that daytime sleep shouldn’t be long enough to interfere with your sleep at night, and ideally are not recommended post-3 p.m. (based on when you sleep in the evening). What duration is wise? Advice differs. In one of a prominent study regarding daytime sleep, space agency scientists discovered that space travelers had improvements of over 50% in vigilance and a 34% boost in cognitive performance following a nap of 26 minutes (in detail, this included a six-minute nodding-off period). “My advice is setting a timer for half an hour or less – most people are asleep quickly,” explains a sleep expert. “There is plenty of advice around regarding the optimal amount of minutes, yet that often cause people to feel more worried above all – and the worst thing you can do while aiming to fall asleep is to be anxious.”
If you plan to nap for a longer period, bypass the 45 to 60 minute range that promotes sleep grogginess, that foggy state when you awaken. “Research would say it is preferable to have a lengthier snooze of 60 to 90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” explains the sleep scientist. “Forty-five minutes is sufficient to plunge you into slow-wave sleep making it more likely to feel disoriented when you get up – while if you extend it a little longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you will probably to finish a full cycle and should get up feeling more alert. However, if you nap for a long period, it will affect how you sleep in the evening.”
Creating the Right Sleep Space
When it comes to specific techniques, suggestions are diverse. Some experts suggest adopting similar routines you use to encourage quality nighttime sleep: a silent space, a comfortable bed and minimal light as possible. Others suggest that it's fine to simply nap in a chair in the existing light happens to be around – both to discourage sleep inertia and to maintain your bedroom as the space your brain links with *real* sleep. “Falling asleep is notoriously difficult to will,” notes an expert. “Without the urge to sleep, it is tougher to lie down and essentially instruct yourself to fall asleep. There must be a natural inclination available to bring the sleep on initially. For me, it's possible to take a nap during the day and naturally wake up without an alarm, though, what aids many individuals is to anticipate an instance when they are naturally slightly tired and just gently relax into it.”
It’s worth experimenting, and when options are scarce – for instance, if attempting to grab a quick nap on a train or in a soundproof office pod – it is perfectly fine to employ a few tools. “When I’m working with footballers, I suggest that they don’t get used to sleeping in their bed, because they’re going to have|they will
