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Listen to plenty of performance experts, and it’s tempting to believe that dozing is a secret weapon: more than a band-aid following poor sleep, but a shortcut towards enhanced cognition, better spirits and maybe a faster 5k run time. Professional footballers do it regularly – as do musicians, fighters & business leaders. Yet, when you lack a dedicated nap-room or a career that encourages frequent naps, are there *really* sufficient advantages to a quick nap to justify the kerfuffle? Is there a dependable method to nod off promptly? Furthermore, can you honestly promise you will arise feeling refreshed, instead of groggy?

Understanding The Drive to Snooze

“Experts note three key drivers for taking a nap in the adult population,” notes an expert sleep science researcher. “Firstly, there's known as compensatory napping, essentially what happens when you’ve had a lack of sleep overnight. The second is prophylactic napping, where you are pre-empting sleep loss coming up, for instance during overnight shifts. The third is called “pleasure-based sleep”, which essentially boils down to desire: you have a moment to sleep during the day, and it's enjoyable to nap.”

The initial step to do, therefore, is consider why you want to nap. “Daytime sleep can be truly beneficial when night sleeping is being disrupted due to causes you cannot change – for instance, if you’re a new parent, or if you are healing after being ill or heavy physical exertion,” states a sleep physiologist. “But if you take a nap because your sleep at night is unstable or poor, that is frequently an indicator your need for sleep is not where it should be. In such situations, naps can become part of the problem, instead of the fix. Employ naps for brief periods for short-term problems – the main goal should still be a robust and regular overnight rest.”

The Perfect Snooze Time

This means that naps must not be sufficiently lengthy to interfere with your sleep at night, and ideally shouldn’t take place post-3 p.m. (contingent on the time you sleep overnight). How long is sensible? Guidelines are mixed. In one of a prominent study on the subject, researchers at Nasa noted that crew members experienced up to a 54% increase in alertness plus a 34% rise in cognitive performance post a 26-minute snooze (technically, this included an initial six-minute nodding-off period). “I’d suggest setting a timer for 20-30 minutes – the majority fall asleep quickly,” says a sleep coach. “You'll find much recommendations concerning the optimal amount of minutes, yet that often lead individuals to become more stressed than anything else – and the most counterproductive thing you can possibly do while aiming to fall asleep is to be anxious.”

Should you decide to take an extended nap, avoid the period between 45 and 60 minutes that promotes sleep inertia, that foggy state when you wake. “Studies suggests it's more effective to opt for a lengthier snooze of one to one and a half hours rather than a mid-length nap,” explains the expert. “45 minutes is sufficient to put you into a deep sleep stage making it more likely to feel disoriented when you wake up – while if you take it a bit longer to a full sleep cycle, you’re likely to finish of a sleep cycle and are likely to awaken feeling more refreshed. But if you nap for 90 minutes, it will affect the quality of your sleep later that night.”

Creating the Right Sleep Space

Regarding specific techniques, recommendations vary. Certain specialists propose using the same protocol you use to promote quality nighttime sleep: a peaceful area, a cozy bed and minimal light as you can manage. Some advise that one could just doze on a couch in whatever light is available – to avoid that groggy feeling and to “protect” your sleeping quarters as the place your brain links with nighttime rest. “Falling asleep is quite challenging to will,” says a sleep coach. “Without any sleepiness, it becomes harder to get comfortable and basically instruct yourself to fall asleep. There must be a natural inclination available to bring the sleep on to begin with. For me, it's possible to snooze during the day and awaken on my own without a timer, though, what aids most folks is to wait for a moment that they’re naturally slightly tired and calmly allow sleep to come.”

It’s worth experimenting, and should you have few options – for instance, when aiming to squeeze in 40 winks during a commute or at the office – it is perfectly fine with bringing some accessories. “Coaching professional sportspeople, I advise that they don’t get used to napping in bed, since they’re going to have|they will