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Hear plenty of performance experts, and you'll be simple to convince yourself that a nap is a secret weapon: rather than a band-aid after restless night, but a route to enhanced cognition, a brighter outlook and maybe a faster 5k run time. Professional soccer players do it regularly – along with concert pianists, UFC champions & media moguls. Yet, when you lack a dedicated nap-room or a career that allows daytime sleep, can there *honestly* sufficient advantages to a short sleep to justify the kerfuffle? Can you find a reliable way to fall asleep fast? Furthermore, can you honestly promise you will get up feeling improved, rather than worse?

Identifying The Reasons for Napping

“Experts note three main reasons for daytime sleep among most adults,” says a professor of circadian rhythm professor. “The first is what we call make-up sleep, which is what you do when you’ve had insufficient sleep overnight. Secondly, there's prophylactic napping, when you are pre-empting sleep loss coming up, for instance when working on night shifts. Finally, there's “hedonic napping”, which essentially comes down to the wish: there is a chance to doze in the daytime, and it feels nice to do it.”

The primary task to consider, therefore, is to examine why you want to nap. “Daytime sleep can be genuinely useful when nighttime sleep gets interrupted due to causes you cannot change – for example, when you are caring for an infant, or if you are healing after being ill or strenuous activity,” says a sleep expert. “However, if you take a nap as your sleep at night is unstable or broken, that can be a signal your need for sleep is not as strong as required. Under those circumstances, naps can become part of the problem, not the solution. Use napping as a temporary measure to address immediate needs – the priority must always be a robust and regular overnight rest.”

The Perfect Nap Length

This implies that daytime sleep shouldn’t be too extended to disrupt your sleep at night, and best should not occur after about 3pm (depending on what time you sleep overnight). What duration is wise? Advice differs. From the most-cited studies regarding daytime sleep, space agency scientists found that astronauts had a boost of up to 54% in vigilance and a 34% boost in cognitive performance post a 26-minute snooze (technically, this counted an initial six-minute nodding-off period). “I’d suggest setting a timer for 20 to 30 minutes – the majority are asleep in under ten minutes,” explains a specialist. “You'll find much guidance out there about the optimal amount for sleeping, but that tends to cause people to feel more worried above all – and the worst thing one can do when trying to nod off is worry about it.”

Should you decide to take an extended nap, bypass the period between 45 and 60 minutes that encourages sleep inertia, that spaced-out feeling when you wake. “Research indicates it is preferable to have a lengthier snooze of 60 to 90 minutes than a medium-length one,” notes the expert. “Three-quarters of an hour is sufficient to put you into a deep sleep stage making it more likely to feel sluggish upon awakening – whereas if you extend it a bit longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you will probably to be on the end of a sleep cycle and should awaken feeling more rejuvenated. Though if you’re sleeping for a long period, it can influence your sleep in the evening.”

Establishing the Right Snooze Setting

As for exact methodologies, suggestions are diverse. Some experts propose adopting comparable habits you use to promote restful sleep: a peaceful area, a cozy bed and as much darkness as you can manage. Some advise that one could merely snooze on a couch in whatever light happens to be around – to prevent sleep inertia and to “protect” your bedroom as the place your brain links with nighttime rest. “Falling asleep is quite challenging to force,” explains an expert. “Lacking the urge to sleep, it is more challenging to recline and essentially command yourself to nod off. There must be some sleep pressure available to bring the sleep on initially. Personally, I can often nap during the day and awaken on my own without a timer, however, what assists a lot of people is to look for an instance when they are naturally slightly tired and just gently relax into it.”

It’s worth experimenting, and when your choices are limited – such as, when aiming to squeeze in a quick nap during a commute or in a soundproof office pod – it's acceptable to use sleep aids. “In my work with professional sportspeople, I recommend that they not rely on sleeping in their bed, as they’re going to have|they will