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Listen to plenty of productivity gurus, and it’s tempting to believe that napping is a superpower: more than a quick fix after a bad night’s sleep, but a shortcut towards improved recall, a brighter outlook and maybe a faster 5k run time. Professional soccer players do it regularly – as do concert pianists, fighters & media moguls. But if you don't have a dedicated nap-room or employment that permits frequent naps, can there *honestly* worthwhile perks to a short sleep for it to be worth the kerfuffle? Is there a surefire technique to nod off promptly? Plus, is it possible to really guarantee you’ll wake up feeling improved, rather than worse?

Understanding Your Nap Motivation

“Experts note three key drivers for taking a nap in the adult population,” says an expert sleep science researcher. “One is what we call compensatory napping, essentially what happens after experiencing poor sleep overnight. Another is prophylactic napping, where you are anticipating insufficient sleep in the future, such as during on night shifts. The third is called “appetitive drive”, which simply comes down to wanting: you have a moment to nap in the daytime, and it's pleasant to indulge.”

The initial step to do, then, is consider your reason for napping. “Daytime sleep can be really helpful when night sleeping is being disrupted due to causes outside your control – for instance, when you are a parent of a newborn, or if you are healing from sickness or intense exercise,” says a sleep physiologist. “But if you nap because your night sleep seems unreliable or unreliable, that is frequently a sign your sleep drive is not at the level it should be. Under those circumstances, napping can become a contributing factor, instead of the fix. Utilize daytime sleep as a short-term solution for short-term problems – the focus must always be a robust and regular night’s sleep.”

The Perfect Snooze Time

This implies that daytime sleep must not be sufficiently lengthy to disrupt your overnight rest, and best should not occur post-3 p.m. (based on the time you retire at night). What duration is wise? Recommendations vary. Among the most referenced research regarding daytime sleep, space agency scientists noted that crew members had a boost of up to 54% in vigilance plus a 34% rise in task performance after a 26-minute nap (technically, this counted a six-minute long nodding-off period). “I recommend using an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – most people doze off within 10 minutes,” explains a specialist. “You'll find much recommendations about the perfect length of minutes, but that tends to lead individuals to become more worried above all – and the worst thing you can possibly do while aiming to fall asleep is worry about it.”

Should you decide to take an extended nap, avoid the period between 45 and 60 minutes that induces that sluggish feeling, that spaced-out feeling when you awaken. “The science indicates it’s better to have a longer nap lasting 60-90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” notes the expert. “Forty-five minutes is sufficient to send you into a deep sleep stage and it is more probable to feel sluggish when you wake up – whereas if you nap for a little longer to a full sleep cycle, you will probably to be on the end a natural sleep cycle and are likely to wake up feeling more rejuvenated. But if you're dozing for 90 minutes, it may impact your sleep in the evening.”

Finding an Ideal Snooze Setting

As for exact methodologies, recommendations vary. A few professionals propose adopting the same protocol one would use to foster restful sleep: a peaceful area, a cozy bed and as much darkness as you can manage. Others suggest that one could merely snooze on a couch in whatever light happens to be around – both to discourage sleep inertia and to maintain your sleeping quarters as the place you associate with nighttime rest. “Sleep is something really tricky to force,” says a sleep coach. “Lacking the urge to sleep, it becomes harder to recline and practically command yourself to go to sleep. You need some sleep pressure present to initiate sleep initially. I can usually take a nap during the day and wake up naturally alarm-free, however, what assists many individuals is to wait for a moment where they feel naturally slightly tired and then simply allow sleep to come.”

Trying different approaches is valuable, and if you have few options – such as, when aiming to grab a quick nap while traveling or in a work pod – there’s nothing wrong with bringing sleep aids. “Coaching footballers, I suggest that they not rely on their own bed for naps, as they’re going to have|they will