The Secret for an Ideal Snooze: Timing, Location and for How Long?

Hear enough productivity gurus, and you'll be simple to believe that a nap is a superpower: more than a sticking plaster following restless night, but a shortcut to improved recall, improved mood and possibly quicker running times. Professional athletes do it regularly – and so are musicians, fighters & high-profile executives. But if you lack a special sleep space or a career that allows frequent naps, can there *honestly* worthwhile perks to a quick nap to merit the effort? Does there exist a dependable method to get to sleep quickly enough? Plus, is it possible to truly ensure you will get up feeling improved, instead of groggy?

Exploring The Nap Motivation

“There are three primary motivations for taking a nap in the adult population,” explains a leading sleep science professor. “Firstly, there's termed make-up sleep, that is what happens after experiencing poor sleep the previous night. Another is pre-emptive sleep, which involves pre-empting a sleep deficit in the future, for instance if you’re working graveyard shifts. The third reason is “appetitive drive”, which simply comes down to the wish: you get an opportunity to nap in the afternoon, and it's enjoyable to do it.”

The primary task to do, so, is to examine your nap motivation. “Daytime sleep can be really helpful when nighttime sleep is being disrupted for reasons beyond your control – for example, for a new parent, or if you are healing from sickness or heavy physical exertion,” says a sleep specialist. “Yet when you’re napping since your nighttime sleep feels fragile or poor, that can be a signal your need for sleep is not where it should be. Under those circumstances, daytime sleep can turn into part of the problem, rather than the answer. Employ naps for brief periods for temporary issues – the main goal ought to remain a solid and consistent overnight rest.”

The Perfect Snooze Time

Therefore that naps must not be too extended to interfere with your nighttime sleep, and preferably should not occur in the late afternoon (contingent on what time you sleep at night). What duration is wise? Recommendations vary. Among a prominent study about napping, researchers at Nasa found that space travelers showed a boost of up to 54% in alertness plus a 34% rise in task performance post a 26-minute snooze (to be precise, this involved a six-minute long falling asleep phase). “I’d suggest using an alarm for 20-30 minutes – the majority are asleep quickly,” says a sleep expert. “You'll find much guidance out there about the perfect length of time, but that tends to make people feel more stressed above all – and the most counterproductive thing you can do while aiming to fall asleep is to be anxious.”

Should you decide to take an extended nap, bypass the period between 45 and 60 minutes that encourages sleep inertia, that spaced-out feeling upon waking. “Studies would say it is preferable to take a longer nap of one to one and a half hours compared to a medium-length nap,” notes the professor. “Forty-five minutes is long enough to plunge you into slow-wave sleep and it is more probable to feel sluggish when you wake up – however, if you extend it slightly longer to an hour or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to finish of a sleep cycle and are likely to wake up feeling more alert. Though if you're dozing for an hour and a half, it can influence the quality of your sleep in the evening.”

Creating the Right Nap Environment

When it comes to precise methods, advice differs. A few professionals recommend employing the same protocol you’d use to foster a good night’s sleep: a peaceful area, a supportive surface and maximum darkness as you can manage. Alternatively, experts propose that you should simply nap in a chair with ambient lighting is present – to prevent sleep inertia and to “protect” your bedroom as the environment you associate with *real* sleep. “Napping is notoriously difficult to command,” explains an expert. “Without any sleepiness, it is tougher to lie down and practically tell yourself to go to sleep. You need some drive there to initiate sleep in the first place. For me, it's possible to take a nap during the day and wake up naturally alarm-free, but what helps many individuals is to look for a moment that they’re naturally somewhat sleepy and calmly allow sleep to come.”

Trying different approaches is valuable, and when you have few options – for example, if attempting to grab 40 winks during a commute or at the office – it's acceptable to use sleep aids. “Coaching footballers, I advise that they avoid becoming accustomed to their own bed for naps, because they’re going to have|they will