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Hear plenty of productivity experts, and it’s simple to believe that a nap is a secret weapon: not just a band-aid after poor sleep, but a shortcut to a better memory, better spirits and possibly quicker running times. Elite soccer players swear by it – along with professional piano players, fighters and business leaders. However, if you haven’t got a dedicated nap-room or a career that permits regular snoozing, is it *truly* sufficient advantages to a short sleep for it to be worth the kerfuffle? Can you find a dependable method to fall asleep fast? Plus, is it possible to really guarantee you’ll wake up feeling better, not worse?

Understanding Your Nap Motivation

“Experts note three key drivers for taking a nap for many people,” says a professor of sleep science researcher. “One is termed make-up sleep, essentially what happens after experiencing poor sleep the night before. The second is preparatory napping, when you are anticipating insufficient sleep ahead, for instance when working graveyard shifts. Finally, there's “pleasure-based sleep”, which simply boils down to desire: you get a chance to sleep during the day, and it's enjoyable to nap.”

The primary task to consider, then, is consider why you want to nap. “Naps can be truly beneficial when nighttime sleep is being disrupted for reasons beyond your control – such as, for a parent of a newborn, or if you are healing from illness or strenuous activity,” states a sleep specialist. “However, if you take a nap because your sleep at night seems unreliable or poor, that can be a sign your sleep drive is not as strong as it should be. Under those circumstances, naps can become part of the issue, rather than the answer. Utilize daytime sleep as a short-term solution to address immediate needs – the priority should still be a solid and consistent overnight rest.”

The Optimal Snooze Time

Therefore that naps must not be long enough to interfere with your sleep at night, and best should not occur after about 3pm (based on what time you sleep at night). How long is sensible? Guidelines are mixed. In one of a prominent study regarding daytime sleep, experts discovered that astronauts experienced a boost of up to 54% in attentiveness and a 34% boost in cognitive performance following a nap of 26 minutes (technically, this counted a six-minute long falling asleep phase). “I’d suggest setting a timer for 20 to 30 minutes – many individuals doze off quickly,” explains a sleep coach. “There is plenty of recommendations regarding the perfect length for sleeping, yet that often make people feel more stressed than anything else – and the worst thing you can do when trying to get to sleep is to be anxious.”

If you plan to sleep for longer, avoid the period between 45 and 60 minutes that promotes sleep inertia, that foggy state when you awaken. “The science indicates it is preferable to opt for a lengthier snooze of one to one and a half hours than a medium-length one,” explains the professor. “Forty-five minutes is long enough to plunge you into a deep sleep stage making it more likely to feel disoriented when you wake up – however, if you take it slightly longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you will probably to be on the end a natural sleep cycle and should wake up feeling more rejuvenated. Though if you’re sleeping for 90 minutes, it can influence the quality of your sleep later that night.”

Creating an Ideal Nap Environment

Regarding precise methods, advice differs. Some experts propose using comparable habits you’d use to promote quality nighttime sleep: a silent space, a supportive surface and as much darkness as possible. Some advise that you should merely snooze on the sofa with ambient lighting is available – to prevent post-nap grogginess and to preserve your bed as the place your mind associates with nighttime rest. “Napping is quite challenging to force,” says a specialist. “Without any sleepiness, it is tougher to get comfortable and basically tell yourself to nod off. There’s got to be some sleep pressure available to start the process initially. For me, it's possible to snooze in broad daylight and naturally wake up alarm-free, though, what aids many individuals is to look for an instance when they are naturally somewhat sleepy and just gently relax into it.”

It’s worth experimenting, and if options are scarce – for example, when aiming to fit in some shut-eye on a train or in a soundproof office pod – it is perfectly fine to use some accessories. “In my work with elite athletes, I advise that they avoid becoming accustomed to their own bed for naps, as they’re going to have|they will