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Listen to plenty of productivity podcasters, and you'll be simple to think that napping is a secret weapon: rather than a quick fix after restless night, but a shortcut to a better memory, improved mood and possibly a faster 5k run time. Elite footballers do it regularly – and so are professional piano players, fighters & media moguls. However, if you lack a special sleep space or employment that permits daytime sleep, can there *honestly* worthwhile perks to a short sleep for it to be worth the hassle? Can you find a surefire technique to get to sleep quickly enough? Furthermore, can you honestly promise you’ll wake up feeling improved, instead of groggy?

Identifying Your Drive to Snooze

“Experts note three main reasons for napping among most adults,” says a professor of circadian rhythm professor. “The first is termed make-up sleep, which is what you do after experiencing poor sleep overnight. Secondly, there's pre-emptive sleep, when you are pre-empting a sleep deficit coming up, for example when working overnight shifts. Finally, there's “hedonic napping”, which essentially comes down to desire: you get a chance to sleep in the daytime, and it's pleasant to indulge.”

The primary task to undertake, therefore, is to think about your reason for napping. “Naps can be truly beneficial when night sleeping is being disrupted because of factors beyond your control – for instance, when you are a new parent, or you’re recovering from sickness or strenuous activity,” says a sleep physiologist. “Yet when you nap since your night sleep is unstable or unreliable, that is frequently a signal your sleep drive is not at the level it should be. In those cases, daytime sleep can turn into part of the problem, not the solution. Utilize daytime sleep as a short-term solution for temporary issues – the main goal must always be a strong and predictable night’s sleep.”

The Ideal Nap Length

Therefore that daytime sleep ought not to be sufficiently lengthy to affect your overnight rest, and preferably are not recommended after about 3pm (based on the time you retire overnight). What's a reasonable length? Advice differs. In one of the most-cited studies on the subject, experts discovered that space travelers had up to a 54% increase in vigilance plus a 34% rise in performance post a 26-minute snooze (to be precise, this counted a six-minute sleep onset time). “My advice is setting a timer for 20-30 minutes – most people doze off quickly,” notes a sleep coach. “There’s a lot of advice around concerning the ideal number of minutes, however, that can lead individuals to become more anxious than anything else – and the most counterproductive thing you can possibly do when attempting to get to sleep is to be anxious.”

Should you decide to nap for a longer period, bypass the 45-60 minute window that promotes sleep inertia, that foggy state when you wake. “The science suggests it is preferable to opt for a lengthier snooze of one to one and a half hours than a medium-length one,” says the expert. “Three-quarters of an hour is enough time to put you into a deep sleep stage and you’re more likely to feel disoriented when you get up – while if you extend it a bit longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you’re likely to finish of a sleep cycle and are likely to awaken feeling more alert. Though if you're dozing for 90 minutes, it can influence your sleep in the evening.”

Establishing the Right Nap Environment

As for exact methodologies, recommendations vary. A few professionals recommend adopting the same protocol you’d use to promote quality nighttime sleep: a peaceful area, a supportive surface and minimal light as is feasible. Others suggest that you should just doze in a chair in the existing light is present – to prevent sleep inertia and to preserve your bedroom as the space your mind associates with nighttime rest. “Sleep is quite challenging to will,” explains a specialist. “Without the urge to sleep, it is more challenging to get comfortable and basically instruct yourself to go to sleep. There must be a natural inclination available to initiate sleep to begin with. Personally, I can often snooze during the day and awaken on my own without an alarm, though, what aids a lot of people is to look for a moment that they’re naturally feeling a bit drowsy and just gently ease into sleep.”

Experimentation is key, and should your choices are limited – for instance, when aiming to grab 40 winks during a commute or in a work pod – it's acceptable with bringing sleep aids. “Coaching professional sportspeople, I advise that they not rely on napping in bed, because they’re going to have|they will