The Secret to a Perfect Snooze: When, Where and Duration?

Tune into enough self-improvement gurus, making it easy to convince yourself that napping is a superpower: not just a quick fix after restless night, but a path towards improved recall, better spirits and perhaps a faster 5k run time. Professional soccer players do it regularly – and so are professional piano players, fighters and business leaders. Yet, when you lack a room for napping or a job that permits regular snoozing, can there *honestly* worthwhile perks to a burst of shut-eye to merit the kerfuffle? Does there exist a dependable method to fall asleep fast? Furthermore, can you really guarantee you will get up feeling improved, instead of groggy?

Understanding The Drive to Snooze

“We can identify three key drivers for daytime sleep in the adult population,” notes a leading sleep and circadian science specialist. “One is known as recovery napping, which is what happens when you’ve had poor sleep the previous night. Another is pre-emptive sleep, which involves preparing for a sleep deficit ahead, for example when working overnight shifts. The third is called “hedonic napping”, which simply is about wanting: you get a chance to sleep in the daytime, and it's enjoyable to do it.”

The first thing to consider, then, is to examine your reason for napping. “Daytime sleep can be really helpful when nighttime sleep is being disrupted because of factors outside your control – such as, if you’re a new parent, or if you are healing from sickness or intense exercise,” explains a sleep physiologist. “However, if you nap because your sleep at night feels fragile or unreliable, that is frequently a signal your sleep drive is not at the level it needs to be. Under those circumstances, daytime sleep can turn into part of the issue, instead of the fix. Utilize daytime sleep as a temporary measure to address immediate needs – the priority must always be a robust and regular night’s sleep.”

The Perfect Nap Length

This implies that daytime sleep ought not to be long enough to disrupt your overnight rest, and best are not recommended after about 3pm (contingent on when you retire overnight). What duration is wise? Guidelines are mixed. In one of the most-cited studies regarding daytime sleep, space agency scientists found that space travelers showed improvements of over 50% in attentiveness and a 34% increase in performance post a 26-minute snooze (technically, this involved a six-minute long sleep onset time). “My advice is using an alarm for 20-30 minutes – many individuals fall asleep in under ten minutes,” explains a specialist. “There’s a lot of advice around concerning the optimal amount of minutes, however, that can cause people to feel more worried than anything else – and the most counterproductive thing one can do when trying to get to sleep is to stress over it.”

Should you decide to nap for a longer period, steer clear of the 45 to 60 minute range that induces that sluggish feeling, that spaced-out feeling upon waking. “Research suggests it’s better to opt for an extended nap of one to one and a half hours compared to a medium-length nap,” notes the professor. “Three-quarters of an hour is enough time to plunge you into deep sleep and it is more probable to feel disoriented when you get up – while if you take it a bit longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you will probably to finish of a sleep cycle and will probably awaken feeling more alert. However, if you nap for 90 minutes, it can influence the quality of your sleep that night.”

Establishing the Right Sleep Space

When it comes to exact methodologies, advice differs. Some experts propose employing the same protocol you’d use to encourage restful sleep: a peaceful area, a cozy bed and minimal light as you can manage. Others suggest that it's fine to simply nap in a chair in the existing light is present – to avoid sleep inertia and to preserve your bed as the environment your mind associates with *real* sleep. “Sleep is something really tricky to command,” explains a sleep coach. “Without any sleepiness, it is tougher to get comfortable and essentially command yourself to go to sleep. There’s got to be some drive present to bring the sleep on initially. Personally, I can often snooze in broad daylight and awaken on my own alarm-free, but what helps most folks is to look for a moment that they’re naturally slightly tired and then simply relax into it.”

Trying different approaches is valuable, and if you have few options – for example, if attempting to grab some shut-eye on a train or at the office – there’s nothing wrong with bringing sleep aids. “When I’m working with elite athletes, I recommend that they avoid becoming accustomed to napping in bed, because they’re going to have|they will