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Tune into a few performance experts, and it’s tempting to convince yourself that napping is a powerful tool: rather than a quick fix following restless night, but a path towards a better memory, improved mood and perhaps quicker running times. Elite athletes swear by it – along with concert pianists, mixed martial artists & high-profile executives. But if you lack a dedicated nap-room or a job that permits daytime sleep, are there *really* sufficient advantages to a quick nap to justify the hassle? Is there a dependable method to nod off promptly? Furthermore, can you really guarantee you’ll wake up feeling improved, rather than worse?

Identifying The Reasons for Napping

“Experts note three key drivers for daytime sleep among most adults,” explains a leading sleep and circadian science specialist. “One is what we call make-up sleep, that is what happens when you’ve had insufficient sleep the previous night. Secondly, there's preparatory napping, where you are anticipating sleep loss in the future, such as if you’re working on night shifts. Finally, there's “appetitive drive”, which simply is about desire: you have a chance to sleep in the afternoon, and it's enjoyable to indulge.”

The primary task to do, therefore, is to think about your reason for napping. “Napping can be really helpful when nighttime sleep is being disrupted for reasons you cannot change – for instance, if you’re caring for an infant, or if you are healing from sickness or intense exercise,” explains a sleep expert. “Yet when you’re napping since your nighttime sleep seems unreliable or unreliable, that’s often a sign your body's sleep pressure is not at the level required. Under those circumstances, daytime sleep can turn into part of the problem, instead of the fix. Utilize daytime sleep for brief periods for temporary issues – the focus should still be a robust and regular overnight rest.”

The Perfect Snooze Time

This implies that napping must not be long enough to affect your nighttime sleep, and best are not recommended post-3 p.m. (contingent on what time you retire in the evening). What duration is wise? Advice differs. In one of the most referenced research on the subject, experts noted that space travelers experienced up to a 54% increase in attentiveness plus a 34% rise in task performance after a 26-minute nap (in detail, this included a six-minute long falling asleep phase). “I recommend using an alarm for 20-30 minutes – the majority doze off in under ten minutes,” says a specialist. “There’s a lot of advice around concerning the optimal amount of time, however, that can lead individuals to become more stressed above all – and the least helpful action you can do when trying to get to sleep is worry about it.”

If you plan to take an extended nap, bypass the 45-60 minute window that encourages that sluggish feeling, that foggy state upon waking. “The science suggests it’s better to opt for a longer nap of one to one and a half hours rather than a mid-length nap,” says the professor. “Forty-five minutes is enough time to put you into deep sleep making it more likely to feel sluggish when you wake up – while if you take it a bit longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you will probably to finish a natural sleep cycle and are likely to get up feeling more refreshed. However, if you're dozing for a long period, it can influence your sleep that night.”

Finding the Perfect Sleep Space

As for specific techniques, suggestions are diverse. Some experts suggest adopting similar routines one would use to encourage a good night’s sleep: a silent space, a cozy bed and minimal light as is feasible. Alternatively, experts propose that it's fine to merely snooze on a couch in the existing light is available – to prevent that groggy feeling and to “protect” your sleeping quarters as the space you associate with nighttime rest. “Napping is notoriously difficult to command,” notes a sleep coach. “Without the urge to sleep, it is more challenging to get comfortable and basically command yourself to go to sleep. There’s got to be a natural inclination present to start the process to begin with. Personally, I can often snooze during the day and naturally wake up alarm-free, though, what aids a lot of people is to wait for a time when they are naturally feeling a bit drowsy and then simply ease into sleep.”

It’s worth experimenting, and should you have few options – such as, when aiming to grab a quick nap on a train or at the office – there’s nothing wrong to use sleep aids. “When I’m working with elite athletes, I suggest that they don’t get used to their own bed for naps, since they’re going to have|they will