The Key for an Ideal Kip: Timing, Where and for How Long?
Hear a few performance gurus, and it’s simple to believe that a nap is a powerful tool: rather than a band-aid after restless night, but a shortcut to a better memory, a brighter outlook and maybe a faster 5k run time. Premier League athletes are all at it – and so are professional piano players, mixed martial artists & high-profile executives. But if you lack a special sleep space or a job that allows daytime sleep, is it *truly* worthwhile perks to a burst of shut-eye to justify the effort? Can you find a surefire technique to fall asleep fast? And can you really guarantee you will arise feeling improved, rather than worse?
Identifying The Drive to Snooze
“Experts note three primary motivations for napping for many people,” notes a professor of sleep and circadian science researcher. “The first is known as compensatory napping, essentially the action you take when you’ve had insufficient sleep the previous night. The second is preparatory napping, when you are pre-empting sleep loss in the future, for example if you’re working overnight shifts. The third reason is “pleasure-based sleep”, which simply is about desire: you get a chance to sleep in the afternoon, and it's enjoyable to do it.”
The primary task to undertake, then, is consider your reason for napping. “Daytime sleep can be truly beneficial when night sleeping is being disrupted due to causes beyond your control – for example, when you are a new parent, or you’re recovering from illness or intense exercise,” explains a sleep physiologist. “But if you take a nap because your night sleep feels fragile or poor, that is frequently a sign your need for sleep is not where it should be. In those cases, daytime sleep can turn into part of the issue, rather than the answer. Use napping as a short-term solution to address immediate needs – the main goal should still be a robust and regular overnight rest.”
The Ideal Nap Duration
This implies that napping shouldn’t be too extended to affect your sleep at night, and best should not occur post-3 p.m. (depending on what time you go to bed overnight). What duration is wise? Recommendations vary. From the most referenced research regarding daytime sleep, space agency scientists discovered that astronauts showed up to a 54% increase in attentiveness and a 34% increase in cognitive performance post a 26-minute snooze (to be precise, this involved a six-minute long nodding-off period). “My advice is using an alarm for half an hour or less – most people are asleep in under ten minutes,” explains a sleep coach. “You'll find much advice around concerning the ideal number of time, but that tends to cause people to feel more stressed than anything else – and the worst thing you can do while aiming to nod off is worry about it.”
Should you decide to sleep for longer, bypass the 45 to 60 minute range that induces sleep grogginess, that disoriented sensation when you awaken. “The science suggests it’s better to take an extended nap of one to one and a half hours than a medium-length one,” says the sleep scientist. “Three-quarters of an hour is long enough to send you into slow-wave sleep making it more likely to feel groggy when you get up – while if you nap for slightly longer to a full sleep cycle, you’re likely to be completing a full cycle and are likely to wake up feeling more refreshed. Though if you nap for a long period, it may impact your sleep that night.”
Creating an Ideal Snooze Setting
Regarding precise methods, recommendations vary. Certain specialists recommend employing the same protocol you’d use to promote restful sleep: a silent space, a comfortable bed and minimal light as is feasible. Some advise that it's fine to merely snooze in a chair in whatever light is present – to avoid that groggy feeling and to preserve your bed as the place you associate with nighttime rest. “Sleep is notoriously difficult to will,” explains an expert. “If you don’t have any drowsiness, it becomes harder to recline and basically tell yourself to nod off. You need a natural inclination available to start the process in the first place. I can usually snooze in broad daylight and awaken on my own without a timer, however, what assists most folks is to wait for a moment when they are naturally feeling a bit drowsy and then simply allow sleep to come.”
It’s worth experimenting, and if your choices are limited – for example, when aiming to squeeze in a quick nap while traveling or at the office – it's acceptable to use some accessories. “When I’m working with footballers, I advise that they avoid becoming accustomed to napping in bed, since they’re going to have|they will
