The Secret for an Ideal Nap: When, Where & for How Long?
Hear enough self-improvement experts, and you'll be simple to believe that a nap is a secret weapon: not just a quick fix after restless night, but a shortcut to enhanced cognition, better spirits and perhaps a faster 5k run time. Elite athletes do it regularly – as do musicians, fighters & media moguls. Yet, when you haven’t got a dedicated nap-room or a career that allows regular snoozing, is it *truly* enough benefits to a burst of shut-eye for it to be worth the kerfuffle? Is there a dependable method to fall asleep fast? Plus, is it possible to truly ensure you will arise feeling refreshed, instead of groggy?
Exploring Your Nap Motivation
“There are three main reasons for napping for many people,” explains a leading circadian rhythm professor. “One is what we call recovery napping, essentially what happens after experiencing a lack of sleep the night before. The second is preparatory napping, which involves preparing for sleep loss ahead, for instance if you’re working on night shifts. The third is called “pleasure-based sleep”, which basically comes down to wanting: there is an opportunity to nap during the day, and it feels nice to do it.”
The initial step to do, therefore, is to examine why you want to nap. “Naps can be genuinely useful when overnight rest is disturbed because of factors beyond your control – for example, for a new parent, or you’re recovering from sickness or intense exercise,” states a sleep expert. “However, if you take a nap as your sleep at night seems unreliable or unreliable, that is frequently an indicator your need for sleep is not as strong as it should be. In those cases, napping can become a contributing factor, rather than the answer. Employ naps as a short-term solution for short-term problems – the focus should still be a strong and predictable sleep at night.”
The Ideal Nap Length
This means that napping shouldn’t be sufficiently lengthy to interfere with your overnight rest, and ideally should not occur in the late afternoon (based on the time you sleep in the evening). How long is sensible? Recommendations vary. In one of the most-cited studies regarding daytime sleep, experts noted that crew members had a boost of up to 54% in vigilance and a 34% boost in cognitive performance following a nap of 26 minutes (to be precise, this included an initial six-minute sleep onset time). “My advice is using an alarm for 20-30 minutes – most people fall asleep quickly,” says a sleep coach. “There is plenty of advice around regarding the perfect length of time, however, that can cause people to feel more anxious than anything else – and the most counterproductive thing you can possibly do when attempting to get to sleep is to stress over it.”
If you plan to nap for a longer period, avoid the 45-60 minute window that encourages sleep grogginess, that disoriented sensation upon waking. “Studies suggests it is preferable to take an extended nap of 60 to 90 minutes than a medium-length one,” explains the expert. “Forty-five minutes is enough time to plunge you into a deep sleep stage and it is more probable to feel sluggish upon awakening – while if you take it slightly longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you’re likely to be completing of a sleep cycle and are likely to awaken feeling more rejuvenated. However, if you nap for an hour and a half, it can influence the quality of your sleep later that night.”
Creating the Right Sleep Space
Regarding precise methods, recommendations vary. Some experts suggest adopting the same protocol you’d use to encourage a good night’s sleep: a silent space, a comfortable bed and minimal light as possible. Some advise that it's fine to simply nap on the sofa in the existing light happens to be around – to prevent post-nap grogginess and to maintain your sleeping quarters as the environment your mind associates with *real* sleep. “Falling asleep is notoriously difficult to command,” notes an expert. “Without any drowsiness, it is more challenging to get comfortable and basically instruct yourself to go to sleep. There’s got to be some sleep pressure there to start the process to begin with. I can usually snooze in broad daylight and awaken on my own alarm-free, but what helps a lot of people is to look for a time when they are naturally somewhat sleepy and then simply ease into sleep.”
Experimentation is key, and when options are scarce – for instance, when aiming to squeeze in some shut-eye on a train or in a work pod – it is perfectly fine with bringing a few tools. “In my work with elite athletes, I advise that they don’t get used to napping in bed, since they’re going to have|they will
