The Secret for an Ideal Kip: Timing, Where & Duration?
Hear enough self-improvement podcasters, and it’s tempting to believe that napping is a powerful tool: more than a band-aid following a bad night’s sleep, but a shortcut to improved recall, a brighter outlook and perhaps a faster 5k run time. Elite athletes do it regularly – along with concert pianists, mixed martial artists & high-profile executives. Yet, when you don't have a dedicated nap-room or employment that permits daytime sleep, is it *truly* enough benefits to a quick nap to merit the hassle? Can you find a reliable way to fall asleep fast? And can you truly ensure you will get up feeling refreshed, not worse?
Exploring The Drive to Snooze
“There are three key drivers for daytime sleep in the adult population,” says a leading sleep science professor. “Firstly, there's known as make-up sleep, which is what happens following insufficient sleep the night before. The second is preparatory napping, where you are anticipating a sleep deficit ahead, for instance if you’re working graveyard shifts. Finally, there's “pleasure-based sleep”, which essentially comes down to desire: you get a chance to sleep in the daytime, and it's enjoyable to indulge.”
The first thing to consider, so, is to think about your reason for napping. “Naps can be really helpful when nighttime sleep gets interrupted for reasons you cannot change – for instance, if you’re caring for an infant, or recovering from sickness or strenuous activity,” explains a sleep specialist. “However, if you’re napping because your sleep at night seems unreliable or broken, that is frequently a sign your body's sleep pressure is not as strong as required. In such situations, daytime sleep can turn into part of the issue, rather than the answer. Use napping as a short-term solution for temporary issues – the priority must always be a robust and regular night’s sleep.”
The Ideal Nap Duration
Therefore that naps ought not to be too extended to interfere with your overnight rest, and ideally are not recommended post-3 p.m. (depending on when you go to bed overnight). What duration is wise? Guidelines are mixed. From the most-cited studies regarding daytime sleep, researchers at Nasa discovered that astronauts had up to a 54% increase in attentiveness and a 34% increase in performance post a 26-minute snooze (to be precise, this counted a six-minute falling asleep phase). “I recommend setting an alarm for 20-30 minutes – many individuals are asleep quickly,” explains a sleep expert. “There is plenty of recommendations about the perfect length of time, however, that can make people feel more stressed above all – and the least helpful action you can do while aiming to fall asleep is to stress over it.”
If you’re going to sleep for longer, bypass the period between 45 and 60 minutes that encourages that sluggish feeling, that spaced-out feeling when you awaken. “Research would say it’s better to opt for an extended nap of one to one and a half hours than a medium-length one,” says the expert. “45 minutes is enough time to send you into deep sleep and you’re more likely to feel disoriented upon awakening – while if you nap for a bit longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you will probably to be on the end a full cycle and are likely to awaken feeling more rejuvenated. But if you’re sleeping for an hour and a half, it may impact how you sleep later that night.”
Creating the Right Snooze Setting
As for precise methods, advice differs. Some experts propose adopting similar routines you use to foster quality nighttime sleep: a silent space, a cozy bed and as much darkness as is feasible. Others suggest that you should just doze on a couch with ambient lighting is available – both to discourage post-nap grogginess and to maintain your sleeping quarters as the space you associate with proper sleep. “Falling asleep is quite challenging to force,” says an expert. “Lacking any sleepiness, it becomes harder to recline and basically tell yourself to nod off. There must be some sleep pressure available to start the process initially. I can usually take a nap during the day and naturally wake up without an alarm, though, what aids most folks is to look for a time where they feel naturally feeling a bit drowsy and calmly allow sleep to come.”
Trying different approaches is valuable, and if you have few options – for example, if attempting to fit in 40 winks during a commute or in a work pod – it is perfectly fine to employ some accessories. “Coaching elite athletes, I suggest that they not rely on sleeping in their bed, as they’re going to have|they will
