Listen to plenty of productivity podcasters, and it’s simple to think that napping is a powerful tool: more than a quick fix after poor sleep, but a path towards improved recall, improved mood and possibly a faster 5k run time. Professional athletes do it regularly – along with concert pianists, fighters & business leaders. But if you don't have a room for napping or employment that encourages regular snoozing, are there *really* enough benefits to a quick nap to merit the effort? Does there exist a reliable way to get to sleep quickly enough? Furthermore, can you honestly promise you will get up feeling refreshed, not worse?
Understanding The Reasons for Napping
“We can identify three key drivers for napping for many people,” notes an expert sleep and circadian science specialist. “Firstly, there's known as recovery napping, essentially what happens after experiencing a lack of sleep the previous night. Secondly, there's prophylactic napping, where you are preparing for a sleep deficit coming up, for instance if you’re working graveyard shifts. The third reason is “appetitive drive”, which essentially is about the wish: you get a chance to nap in the afternoon, and it's enjoyable to nap.”
The first thing to consider, then, is to examine your reason for napping. “Daytime sleep can be really helpful when night sleeping gets interrupted for reasons beyond your control – for instance, when you are a parent of a newborn, or you’re recovering from illness or strenuous activity,” explains a sleep specialist. “But if you nap as your night sleep seems unreliable or unreliable, that is frequently a signal your body's sleep pressure is not as strong as it should be. Under those circumstances, daytime sleep can turn into a contributing factor, instead of the fix. Employ naps for brief periods to address immediate needs – the main goal must always be a strong and predictable night’s sleep.”
The Optimal Nap Duration
This means that napping must not be too extended to affect your nighttime sleep, and best should not occur post-3 p.m. (based on the time you go to bed at night). What duration is wise? Advice differs. In one of a prominent study about napping, researchers at Nasa noted that crew members had improvements of over 50% in vigilance and a 34% increase in task performance following a nap of 26 minutes (in detail, this included a six-minute nodding-off period). “My advice is setting a timer for 20-30 minutes – many individuals fall asleep in under ten minutes,” notes a sleep coach. “There’s a lot of advice around regarding the optimal amount for sleeping, but that tends to make people feel more worried than anything else – and the least helpful action you can possibly do when attempting to fall asleep is to be anxious.”
Should you decide to sleep for longer, avoid the 45 to 60 minute range that induces sleep inertia, that foggy state when you awaken. “Studies suggests it’s better to take a longer nap of one to one and a half hours rather than a mid-length nap,” says the expert. “45 minutes is enough time to plunge you into deep sleep and it is more probable to feel groggy when you get up – while if you nap for a bit longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you’re likely to be on the end of a sleep cycle and are likely to awaken feeling more alert. But if you’re sleeping for 90 minutes, it can influence how you sleep later that night.”
Finding the Perfect Nap Environment
As for specific techniques, recommendations vary. A few professionals recommend employing comparable habits one would use to foster quality nighttime sleep: a quiet room, a supportive surface and minimal light as you can manage. Some advise that you should simply nap on the sofa in whatever light is available – both to discourage sleep inertia and to maintain your sleeping quarters as the space your mind associates with proper sleep. “Sleep is something really tricky to force,” says an expert. “If you don’t have any drowsiness, it becomes harder to recline and essentially command yourself to nod off. You need some sleep pressure present to initiate sleep in the first place. I can usually nap during the day and awaken on my own without an alarm, but what helps a lot of people is to look for a time that they’re naturally somewhat sleepy and then simply ease into sleep.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and when you have few options – for example, when aiming to fit in a quick nap during a commute or in a soundproof office pod – it is perfectly fine with bringing some accessories. “In my work with footballers, I advise that they don’t get used to napping in bed, because they’re going to have|they will
