The Secret to a Perfect Snooze: Timing, Where & for How Long?
Hear enough self-improvement experts, and it’s easy to believe that dozing is a superpower: not just a band-aid after a bad night’s sleep, but a route towards a better memory, a brighter outlook and perhaps a faster 5k run time. Professional footballers do it regularly – along with professional piano players, mixed martial artists & media moguls. But if you lack a dedicated nap-room or a job that allows regular snoozing, can there *honestly* worthwhile perks to a burst of shut-eye to merit the effort? Does there exist a reliable way to fall asleep fast? Furthermore, can you truly ensure you will arise feeling improved, not worse?
Exploring Your Drive to Snooze
“Experts note three key drivers for daytime sleep in the adult population,” says a leading circadian rhythm specialist. “One is termed make-up sleep, that is what happens following insufficient sleep the night before. Secondly, there's pre-emptive sleep, which involves pre-empting a sleep deficit in the future, for instance when working overnight shifts. The third is called “pleasure-based sleep”, which simply comes down to wanting: there is an opportunity to sleep during the day, and it's enjoyable to nap.”
The first thing to undertake, then, is to think about your nap motivation. “Daytime sleep can be really helpful when night sleeping is disturbed because of factors you cannot change – for instance, for caring for an infant, or if you are healing from sickness or strenuous activity,” explains a sleep specialist. “However, if you take a nap since your night sleep feels fragile or broken, that’s often an indicator your sleep drive is not as strong as required. In those cases, naps can become part of the problem, rather than the answer. Use napping as a temporary measure for short-term problems – the focus should still be a strong and predictable overnight rest.”
The Perfect Nap Duration
Therefore that napping must not be sufficiently lengthy to affect your sleep at night, and best are not recommended in the late afternoon (depending on what time you sleep in the evening). How long is sensible? Recommendations vary. Among a prominent study regarding daytime sleep, space agency scientists discovered that crew members experienced improvements of over 50% in attentiveness and a 34% boost in task performance following a nap of 26 minutes (technically, this included an initial six-minute falling asleep phase). “I recommend setting an alarm for half an hour or less – most people fall asleep within 10 minutes,” notes a sleep expert. “There is plenty of recommendations concerning the perfect length for sleeping, yet that often make people feel more worried than anything – and the most counterproductive thing you can possibly do when trying to nod off is to be anxious.”
Should you decide to nap for a longer period, steer clear of the period between 45 and 60 minutes that encourages sleep grogginess, that foggy state upon waking. “Research suggests it’s better to take a lengthier snooze of one to one and a half hours compared to a medium-length nap,” notes the professor. “Three-quarters of an hour is sufficient to send you into deep sleep and it is more probable to feel sluggish when you get up – whereas if you take it a little longer to 60 or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to be completing of a sleep cycle and should get up feeling more rejuvenated. However, if you nap for 90 minutes, it can influence how you sleep in the evening.”
Creating the Perfect Snooze Setting
Regarding exact methodologies, advice differs. Certain specialists recommend employing the same protocol you’d use to promote restful sleep: a peaceful area, a supportive surface and as much 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 that groggy feeling and to preserve your sleeping quarters as the space you associate with nighttime rest. “Napping is quite challenging to will,” says an expert. “Without any sleepiness, it is more challenging to lie down and basically command yourself to go to sleep. There must be a natural inclination present to start the process initially. I can usually snooze in broad daylight and awaken on my own alarm-free, but what helps a lot of people is to wait for an instance when they are naturally slightly tired and then simply ease into sleep.”
Experimentation is key, and should you have few options – for example, if attempting to squeeze in 40 winks on a train or at the office – it's acceptable to use some accessories. “Coaching professional sportspeople, I recommend that they avoid becoming accustomed to napping in bed, because they’re going to have|they will
