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Hear a few self-improvement podcasters, making it simple to believe that dozing is a secret weapon: rather than a sticking plaster after poor sleep, but a route to a better memory, a brighter outlook and possibly improved athletic performance. Professional footballers swear by it – as do professional piano players, fighters and business leaders. Yet, when you haven’t got a dedicated nap-room or a career that encourages regular snoozing, are there *really* worthwhile perks to a quick nap to justify the hassle? Does there exist a dependable method to nod off promptly? And can you really guarantee you’ll wake up feeling better, not worse?

Understanding The Nap Motivation

“There are three primary motivations for napping among most adults,” says a professor of sleep and circadian science professor. “Firstly, there's termed compensatory napping, which is what you do following insufficient sleep the previous night. Secondly, there's pre-emptive sleep, which involves preparing for a sleep deficit coming up, such as during overnight shifts. Finally, there's “pleasure-based sleep”, which basically is about the wish: you have a chance to sleep during the day, and it feels nice to nap.”

The first thing to undertake, therefore, is to think about your nap motivation. “Napping can be really helpful when nighttime sleep is being disrupted due to causes you cannot change – such as, when you are a parent of a newborn, or you’re recovering after being ill or intense exercise,” explains a sleep specialist. “Yet when you’re napping since your sleep at night seems unreliable or broken, that’s often an indicator your need for sleep is not at the level it should be. In those cases, napping can become part of the issue, instead of the fix. Employ naps as a short-term solution for temporary issues – the focus must always be a strong and predictable night’s sleep.”

The Optimal Snooze Time

Therefore that napping ought not to be too extended to affect your sleep at night, and preferably shouldn’t take place after about 3pm (depending on the time you sleep in the evening). What's a reasonable length? Recommendations vary. From the most-cited studies regarding daytime sleep, researchers at Nasa discovered that space travelers had up to a 54% increase in attentiveness and a 34% increase in performance after a 26-minute nap (in detail, this included an initial six-minute sleep onset time). “I’d suggest setting a timer for half an hour or less – the majority are asleep within 10 minutes,” says a sleep expert. “There’s a lot of recommendations about the perfect length of time, however, that can make people feel more stressed than anything else – and the least helpful action you can do when trying to get to sleep is to be anxious.”

If you’re going to nap for a longer period, bypass the 45-60 minute window that induces sleep inertia, that spaced-out feeling when you wake. “The science suggests it’s better to take a longer nap of 60 to 90 minutes than a medium-length one,” explains the professor. “Forty-five minutes is long enough to put you into slow-wave sleep and you’re more likely to feel sluggish when you wake up – however, if you extend it slightly longer to a full sleep cycle, you’re likely to be completing a natural sleep cycle and will probably wake up feeling more refreshed. Though if you’re sleeping for an hour and a half, it will affect your sleep that night.”

Finding an Ideal Snooze Setting

As for exact methodologies, recommendations vary. A few professionals suggest adopting similar routines you’d use to foster restful sleep: a quiet room, a cozy bed and maximum darkness as is feasible. Some advise that it's fine to merely snooze on the sofa with ambient lighting happens to be around – to avoid sleep inertia and to preserve your sleeping quarters as the space your mind associates with nighttime rest. “Sleep is something really tricky to force,” notes a sleep coach. “Without any sleepiness, it becomes harder to recline and essentially tell yourself to go to sleep. There must be a natural inclination present to initiate sleep to begin with. I can usually nap during the day and awaken on my own without a timer, however, what assists a lot of people is to look for a moment that they’re naturally feeling a bit drowsy and then simply allow sleep to come.”

Experimentation is key, and when options are scarce – such as, when aiming to grab some shut-eye during a commute or in a work pod – there’s nothing wrong with bringing some accessories. “Coaching elite athletes, I recommend that they don’t get used to their own bed for naps, as they’re going to have|they will