🔗 Share this article

Listen to enough productivity podcasters, making it simple to believe that a nap is a secret weapon: rather than a sticking plaster following a bad night’s sleep, but a shortcut towards a better memory, better spirits and maybe quicker running times. Professional footballers are all at it – and so are concert pianists, fighters and business leaders. Yet, when you lack a special sleep space or employment that allows daytime sleep, are there *really* sufficient advantages to a quick nap to justify the kerfuffle? Is there a reliable way to get to sleep quickly enough? Furthermore, can you honestly promise you will get up feeling improved, instead of groggy?

Identifying The Reasons for Napping

“Experts note three key drivers for taking a nap for many people,” explains an expert sleep and circadian science researcher. “The first is known as recovery napping, which is what happens after experiencing a lack of sleep the previous night. Secondly, there's preparatory napping, which involves pre-empting sleep loss ahead, for example when working overnight shifts. The third reason is “pleasure-based sleep”, which simply is about wanting: you have an opportunity to sleep in the daytime, and it's enjoyable to do it.”

The first thing to undertake, so, is to examine your reason for napping. “Napping can be genuinely useful when nighttime sleep is being disrupted for reasons beyond your control – for instance, when you are caring for an infant, or if you are healing after being ill or heavy physical exertion,” states a sleep physiologist. “However, if you nap as your night sleep feels fragile or broken, that’s often a sign your sleep drive is not as strong as it needs to be. In such situations, naps can become a contributing factor, rather than the answer. Employ naps as a temporary measure to address immediate needs – the main goal ought to remain a robust and regular sleep at night.”

The Optimal Snooze Time

Therefore that napping shouldn’t be too extended to interfere with your sleep at night, and preferably are not recommended in the late afternoon (contingent on what time you sleep at night). How long is sensible? Advice differs. Among the most-cited studies on the subject, researchers at Nasa found that crew members had up to a 54% increase in vigilance and a 34% increase in task performance following a nap of 26 minutes (to be precise, this counted a six-minute long nodding-off period). “I’d suggest using an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – the majority doze off quickly,” explains a specialist. “You'll find much guidance out there about the perfect length for sleeping, yet that often cause people to feel more worried than anything – and the worst thing you can possibly do while aiming to fall asleep is to stress over it.”

If you plan to nap for a longer period, steer clear of the period between 45 and 60 minutes that promotes sleep inertia, that foggy state when you wake. “The science would say it’s better to have a longer nap of one to one and a half hours rather than a mid-length nap,” explains the sleep scientist. “Forty-five minutes is long enough to plunge you into slow-wave sleep making it more likely to feel sluggish when you get up – while if you nap for a little longer to a full sleep cycle, it's likely you'll to be completing a full cycle and will probably wake up feeling more refreshed. However, if you're dozing for 90 minutes, it can influence the quality of your sleep later that night.”

Establishing the Right Nap Environment

As for specific techniques, suggestions are diverse. Some experts recommend adopting similar routines you’d use to promote a good night’s sleep: a silent space, a comfortable bed and as much darkness as is feasible. Some advise that you should merely snooze on the sofa with ambient lighting is available – both to discourage sleep inertia and to “protect” your bedroom as the environment you associate with proper sleep. “Sleep is notoriously difficult to force,” explains a sleep coach. “Without the urge to sleep, it is tougher to recline and practically tell yourself to nod off. There’s got to be a natural inclination present to bring the sleep on in the first place. Personally, I can often nap in broad daylight and wake up naturally without a timer, however, what assists a lot of people is to wait for a moment where they feel naturally somewhat sleepy and just gently ease into sleep.”

Experimentation is key, and when your choices are limited – such as, if attempting to squeeze in 40 winks on a train or in a work pod – there’s nothing wrong to employ some accessories. “When I’m working with elite athletes, I recommend that they not rely on their own bed for naps, as they’re going to have|they will