The Formula for a Perfect Kip: When, Where and for How Long?
Listen to a few productivity gurus, making it easy to believe that napping is a powerful tool: not just a sticking plaster after poor sleep, but a path towards a better memory, a brighter outlook and maybe a faster 5k run time. Professional athletes swear by it – as do musicians, mixed martial artists & high-profile executives. However, if you don't have a dedicated nap-room or a career that allows frequent naps, can there *honestly* worthwhile perks to a burst of shut-eye for it to be worth the effort? Can you find a surefire technique to get to sleep quickly enough? Plus, is it possible to really guarantee you’ll wake up feeling improved, instead of groggy?
Understanding Your Reasons for Napping
“Experts note three key drivers for napping among most adults,” notes an expert circadian rhythm researcher. “The first is termed compensatory napping, that is the action you take after experiencing insufficient sleep the night before. Another is prophylactic napping, which involves anticipating sleep loss ahead, for example during on night shifts. The third is called “hedonic napping”, which basically boils down to the wish: there is a moment to nap in the afternoon, and it feels nice to do it.”
The primary task to do, so, is to think about why you want to nap. “Naps can be really helpful when overnight rest gets interrupted for reasons beyond your control – such as, for caring for an infant, or you’re recovering after being ill or intense exercise,” explains a sleep expert. “Yet when you nap because your sleep at night is unstable or broken, that is frequently a sign your sleep drive is not as strong as required. Under those circumstances, naps can become part of the issue, instead of the fix. Employ naps as a temporary measure to address immediate needs – the priority must always be a solid and consistent overnight rest.”
The Optimal Snooze Time
This means that naps shouldn’t be long enough to disrupt your nighttime sleep, and best should not occur after about 3pm (depending on when you retire overnight). What duration is wise? Recommendations vary. From a prominent study regarding daytime sleep, space agency scientists discovered that crew members experienced up to a 54% increase in alertness plus a 34% rise in performance after a 26-minute nap (in detail, this involved a six-minute falling asleep phase). “I recommend using an alarm for 20-30 minutes – most people doze off in under ten minutes,” says a specialist. “There’s a lot of recommendations regarding the optimal amount for sleeping, but that tends to cause people to feel more stressed than anything else – and the worst thing you can do while aiming to fall asleep is to be anxious.”
If you plan to take an extended nap, avoid the period between 45 and 60 minutes that induces that sluggish feeling, that disoriented sensation upon waking. “The science suggests it’s better to opt for an extended nap lasting 60-90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” explains the sleep scientist. “Three-quarters of an hour is enough time to plunge you into a deep sleep stage making it more likely to feel disoriented when you wake up – while if you extend it a little longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you’re likely to be completing a natural sleep cycle and are likely to wake up feeling more rejuvenated. Though if you're dozing for an hour and a half, it may impact how you sleep later that night.”
Establishing an Ideal Sleep Space
Regarding exact methodologies, advice differs. A few professionals recommend using similar routines you’d use to encourage restful sleep: a quiet room, a comfortable bed and maximum darkness as is feasible. Alternatively, experts propose that it's fine to simply nap in a chair in the existing light is present – both to discourage sleep inertia and to preserve your bedroom as the place your brain links with *real* sleep. “Napping is notoriously difficult to force,” notes an expert. “Lacking the urge to sleep, it is more challenging to recline and practically command yourself to nod off. You need some drive there to initiate sleep initially. For me, it's possible to nap in broad daylight and naturally wake up without an alarm, however, what assists a lot of people is to wait for a moment that they’re naturally somewhat sleepy and then simply relax into it.”
It’s worth experimenting, and should your choices are limited – for instance, if attempting to fit in 40 winks on a train or at the office – there’s nothing wrong to employ some accessories. “In my work with professional sportspeople, I recommend that they don’t get used to their own bed for naps, since they’re going to have|they will
