The Key for a Perfect Kip: Timing, Where and Duration?
Listen to enough productivity gurus, and you'll be tempting to believe that dozing is a superpower: not just a sticking plaster following restless night, but a route towards a better memory, a brighter outlook and possibly a faster 5k run time. Premier League footballers do it regularly – as do concert pianists, mixed martial artists & business leaders. Yet, when you lack a dedicated nap-room or a job that permits daytime sleep, is it *truly* sufficient advantages to a quick nap to justify the hassle? Does there exist a reliable way to nod off promptly? Plus, is it possible to really guarantee you’ll wake up feeling better, instead of groggy?
Identifying The Drive to Snooze
“There are three key drivers for taking a nap among most adults,” says a leading sleep and circadian science researcher. “Firstly, there's termed compensatory napping, which is the action you take following insufficient sleep the night before. The second is pre-emptive sleep, where you are preparing for sleep loss in the future, for example if you’re working graveyard shifts. Finally, there's “pleasure-based sleep”, which simply is about desire: you get a moment to sleep during the day, and it's pleasant to do it.”
The primary task to do, then, is to think about your reason for napping. “Daytime sleep can be truly beneficial when overnight rest gets interrupted for reasons you cannot change – for instance, for caring for an infant, or if you are healing from illness or strenuous activity,” explains a sleep physiologist. “Yet when you’re napping as your night sleep feels fragile or broken, that is frequently an indicator your need for sleep is not at the level it needs to be. Under those circumstances, napping can become a contributing factor, rather than the answer. Utilize daytime sleep as a temporary measure for temporary issues – the main goal ought to remain a solid and consistent overnight rest.”
The Optimal Nap Length
This implies that daytime sleep shouldn’t be sufficiently lengthy to affect your overnight rest, and best shouldn’t take place in the late afternoon (based on what time you sleep at night). How long is sensible? Guidelines are mixed. In one of a prominent study regarding daytime sleep, space agency scientists noted that astronauts experienced improvements of over 50% in alertness and a 34% boost in task performance post a 26-minute snooze (in detail, this included an initial six-minute sleep onset time). “I recommend setting a timer for 20 to 30 minutes – many individuals fall asleep in under ten minutes,” says a sleep expert. “There is plenty of guidance out there regarding the perfect length for sleeping, yet that often cause people to feel more stressed than anything – and the most counterproductive thing you can do when trying to nod off is to be anxious.”
If you plan to nap for a longer period, steer clear of the period between 45 and 60 minutes that induces sleep inertia, that foggy state when you awaken. “Research suggests it is preferable to have an extended nap of 60 to 90 minutes than a medium-length one,” notes the sleep scientist. “Three-quarters of an hour is sufficient to send you into a deep sleep stage making it more likely to feel disoriented when you get up – while if you take it slightly longer to a full sleep cycle, you will probably to be completing a full cycle and will probably wake up feeling more rejuvenated. But if you nap for 90 minutes, it may impact your sleep that night.”
Finding the Right Sleep Space
When it comes to exact methodologies, recommendations vary. A few professionals suggest adopting similar routines you use to encourage a good night’s sleep: a silent space, a comfortable bed and minimal light as you can manage. Alternatively, experts propose that it's fine to just doze in a chair in whatever light is present – to avoid that groggy feeling and to maintain your sleeping quarters as the space your mind associates with proper sleep. “Napping is something really tricky to force,” explains an expert. “Lacking any sleepiness, it is more challenging to recline and essentially command yourself to nod off. There’s got to be some sleep pressure there to bring the sleep on initially. Personally, I can often take a nap in broad daylight and awaken on my own alarm-free, however, what assists many individuals is to look for a time when they are naturally feeling a bit drowsy and just gently relax into it.”
It’s worth experimenting, and when options are scarce – such as, when aiming to fit in a quick nap while traveling or in a work pod – it's acceptable with bringing sleep aids. “In my work with footballers, I recommend that they avoid becoming accustomed to napping in bed, as they’re going to have|they will
