The Key for a Perfect Snooze: When, Where and Duration?
Tune into plenty of productivity gurus, making it tempting to believe that dozing is a secret weapon: rather than a band-aid following poor sleep, but a path towards a better memory, improved mood and possibly quicker running times. Premier League footballers swear by it – along with musicians, fighters and media moguls. However, if you don't have a room for napping or employment that permits frequent naps, can there *honestly* enough benefits to a quick nap for it to be worth the kerfuffle? Does there exist a reliable way to get to sleep quickly enough? Furthermore, can you truly ensure you will arise feeling better, not worse?
Exploring Your Drive to Snooze
“There are three primary motivations for taking a nap for many people,” says an expert sleep science professor. “One is what we call make-up sleep, which is what happens following poor sleep the previous night. The second is pre-emptive sleep, where you are pre-empting sleep loss ahead, for example during overnight shifts. The third is called “pleasure-based sleep”, which essentially is about desire: you get an opportunity to nap in the afternoon, and it's enjoyable to nap.”
The first thing to consider, so, is to examine your reason for napping. “Naps can be really helpful when night sleeping is disturbed because of factors beyond your control – for example, when you are a parent of a newborn, or if you are healing after being ill or intense exercise,” states a sleep physiologist. “Yet when you nap because your night sleep is unstable 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 issue, rather than the answer. Utilize daytime sleep for brief periods for temporary issues – the focus ought to remain a solid and consistent night’s sleep.”
The Optimal Snooze Time
Therefore that naps ought not to be too extended to affect your sleep at night, and best shouldn’t take place in the late afternoon (based on when you retire in the evening). How long is sensible? Advice differs. Among the most-cited studies on the subject, experts found that space travelers experienced a boost of up to 54% in alertness and a 34% boost in task performance following a nap of 26 minutes (technically, this counted a six-minute long sleep onset time). “My advice is using an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – most people fall asleep within 10 minutes,” notes a sleep expert. “You'll find much recommendations concerning the ideal number of time, but that tends to make people feel more anxious above all – and the worst thing you can possibly do while aiming to get to sleep is to stress over it.”
If you’re going to take an extended nap, bypass the 45-60 minute window that encourages sleep inertia, that disoriented sensation when you awaken. “Research indicates it is preferable to take a longer nap of one to one and a half hours compared to a medium-length nap,” explains the expert. “Three-quarters of an hour is sufficient to send you into a deep sleep stage making it more likely to feel groggy when you wake up – whereas if you nap for a little longer to a full sleep cycle, it's likely you'll to be completing of a sleep cycle and will probably get up feeling more alert. But if you nap for a long period, it may impact your sleep in the evening.”
Finding the Right Sleep Space
As for specific techniques, recommendations vary. Some experts suggest adopting the same protocol you’d use to promote restful sleep: a peaceful area, a comfortable bed and as much darkness as possible. Alternatively, experts propose that you should simply nap on the sofa with ambient lighting happens to be around – to avoid sleep inertia and to “protect” your bedroom as the place your mind associates with *real* sleep. “Falling asleep is something really tricky to force,” says a sleep coach. “Lacking any sleepiness, it is tougher to get comfortable and essentially command yourself to fall asleep. There must be some drive available to start the process initially. I can usually take a nap during the day and naturally wake up alarm-free, but what helps most folks is to anticipate a time when they are naturally slightly tired and calmly ease into sleep.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and if your choices are limited – for example, if you’re trying to grab 40 winks on a train or in a work pod – it's acceptable to use a few tools. “In my work with professional sportspeople, I suggest that they not rely on sleeping in their bed, as they’re going to have|they will