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Listen to a few performance podcasters, and you'll be simple to think that napping is a superpower: rather than a quick fix after restless night, but a path towards improved recall, improved mood and possibly improved athletic performance. Premier League footballers are all at it – along with professional piano players, mixed martial artists and media moguls. Yet, when you lack a room for napping or a job that permits daytime sleep, is it *truly* worthwhile perks to a short sleep for it to be worth the hassle? Does there exist a dependable method to fall asleep fast? Furthermore, can you truly ensure you will arise feeling improved, instead of groggy?

Exploring Your Drive to Snooze

“Experts note three key drivers for daytime sleep among most adults,” says an expert circadian rhythm researcher. “Firstly, there's what we call recovery napping, essentially what you do when you’ve had insufficient sleep the previous night. Secondly, there's prophylactic napping, which involves preparing for sleep loss in the future, for example if you’re working graveyard shifts. Finally, there's “pleasure-based sleep”, which essentially comes down to the wish: there is a chance to doze during the day, and it's enjoyable to nap.”

The first thing to consider, so, is to think about your reason for napping. “Naps can be truly beneficial when overnight rest is being disrupted for reasons outside your control – for instance, when you are a new parent, or if you are healing after being ill or strenuous activity,” states a sleep physiologist. “However, if you’re napping since your nighttime sleep seems unreliable or unreliable, that’s often an indicator your sleep drive is not where required. Under those circumstances, napping can become part of the issue, instead of the fix. Use napping as a short-term solution to address immediate needs – the priority ought to remain a solid and consistent sleep at night.”

The Optimal Snooze Time

This implies that daytime sleep ought not to be too extended to affect your nighttime sleep, and best shouldn’t take place post-3 p.m. (contingent on what time you go to bed in the evening). What's a reasonable length? Guidelines are mixed. Among a prominent study about napping, researchers at Nasa found that crew members showed up to a 54% increase in attentiveness plus a 34% rise in performance post a 26-minute snooze (technically, this counted an initial six-minute sleep onset time). “My advice is setting an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – many individuals fall asleep within 10 minutes,” notes a specialist. “You'll find much recommendations regarding the ideal number of time, but that tends to make people feel more stressed than anything – and the most counterproductive thing one can do while aiming to fall asleep is to be anxious.”

Should you decide to take an extended nap, bypass the period between 45 and 60 minutes that encourages sleep grogginess, that foggy state upon waking. “Research would say it is preferable to have 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 sufficient to send you into slow-wave sleep making it more likely to feel groggy upon awakening – however, if you take it a little longer to a full sleep cycle, you will probably to finish a full cycle and will probably wake up feeling more refreshed. Though if you nap for an hour and a half, it may impact how you sleep that night.”

Creating the Perfect Nap Environment

Regarding specific techniques, advice differs. A few professionals recommend adopting the same protocol one would use to promote a good night’s sleep: a quiet room, a cozy bed and as much darkness as possible. Others suggest that one could merely snooze on the sofa in the existing light happens to be around – to prevent sleep inertia and to “protect” your bedroom as the environment you associate with *real* sleep. “Napping is quite challenging to force,” explains an expert. “Lacking any sleepiness, it is tougher to lie down and practically tell yourself to nod off. There must be a natural inclination present to bring the sleep on initially. I can usually snooze in full light and naturally wake up alarm-free, however, what assists most folks is to anticipate an instance where they feel naturally feeling a bit drowsy and calmly allow sleep to come.”

It’s worth experimenting, and when options are scarce – for example, when aiming to fit in a quick nap during a commute or in a soundproof office pod – it's acceptable to use sleep aids. “In my work with footballers, I advise that they avoid becoming accustomed to their own bed for naps, as they’re going to have|they will