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Tune into enough performance gurus, making it easy to think that dozing is a secret weapon: rather than a sticking plaster after restless night, but a route to improved recall, better spirits and maybe a faster 5k run time. Elite athletes do it regularly – as do professional piano players, mixed martial artists and high-profile executives. Yet, when you don't have a special sleep space or a job that permits daytime sleep, is it *truly* sufficient advantages to a quick nap to justify the hassle? Is there a reliable way to get to sleep quickly enough? And can you really guarantee you will arise feeling better, instead of groggy?

Exploring Your Nap Motivation

“Experts note three primary motivations for napping in the adult population,” explains an expert circadian rhythm specialist. “Firstly, there's what we call compensatory napping, essentially what you do after experiencing poor sleep the previous night. Another is preparatory napping, where you are preparing for sleep loss in the future, for instance if you’re working on night shifts. The third is called “appetitive drive”, which basically comes down to the wish: you get an opportunity to sleep during the day, and it's enjoyable to indulge.”

The primary task to consider, then, is to think about your nap motivation. “Napping can be truly beneficial when overnight rest is disturbed due to causes outside your control – such as, if you’re a parent of a newborn, or recovering after being ill or strenuous activity,” states a sleep specialist. “However, if you take a nap as your nighttime sleep is unstable or poor, that can be an indicator your sleep drive is not as strong as required. In those cases, napping can become part of the issue, not the solution. Utilize daytime sleep as a short-term solution to address immediate needs – the focus ought to remain a strong and predictable sleep at night.”

The Ideal Snooze Time

Therefore that naps ought not to be too extended to disrupt your nighttime sleep, and best are not recommended post-3 p.m. (contingent on when you sleep in the evening). How long is sensible? Recommendations vary. From a prominent study on the subject, researchers at Nasa found that astronauts experienced up to a 54% increase in vigilance and a 34% increase in performance post a 26-minute snooze (in detail, this included a six-minute long sleep onset time). “My advice is setting an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – most people doze off within 10 minutes,” notes a sleep expert. “There’s a lot of guidance out there concerning the ideal number for sleeping, however, that can cause people to feel more worried than anything else – and the most counterproductive thing one can do when attempting to get to sleep is worry about it.”

If you’re going to nap for a longer period, avoid the period between 45 and 60 minutes that encourages sleep grogginess, that disoriented sensation when you wake. “Research would say it's more effective to opt for a lengthier snooze of 60 to 90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” explains the expert. “45 minutes is enough time to put you into slow-wave sleep making it more likely to feel groggy upon awakening – while if you extend it slightly longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you will probably to finish a full cycle and should wake up feeling more alert. However, if you're dozing for a long period, it can influence your sleep later that night.”

Finding the Right Nap Environment

When it comes to exact methodologies, recommendations vary. A few professionals suggest adopting comparable habits you use to foster a good night’s sleep: a quiet room, a supportive surface and as much darkness as you can manage. Some advise that it's fine to merely snooze on the sofa in the existing light is available – to prevent post-nap grogginess and to preserve your bed as the environment you associate with proper sleep. “Falling asleep is notoriously difficult to command,” explains an expert. “If you don’t have any drowsiness, it is more challenging to lie down and essentially instruct yourself to go to sleep. There must be a natural inclination available to initiate sleep in the first place. I can usually take a nap in broad daylight and naturally wake up alarm-free, however, what assists a lot of people is to look for a time where they feel naturally somewhat sleepy and just gently ease into sleep.”

Experimentation is key, and if options are scarce – such as, when aiming to fit in some shut-eye during a commute or at the office – it is perfectly fine with bringing a few tools. “Coaching professional sportspeople, I advise that they don’t get used to their own bed for naps, as they’re going to have|they will