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Tune into plenty of self-improvement gurus, making it simple to convince yourself that dozing is a superpower: more than a quick fix after a bad night’s sleep, but a path to a better memory, a brighter outlook and possibly quicker running times. Elite athletes are all at it – as do professional piano players, UFC champions & high-profile executives. But if you don't have a special sleep space or employment that permits frequent naps, is it *truly* worthwhile perks to a burst of shut-eye for it to be worth the hassle? Can you find a surefire technique to nod off promptly? And can you honestly promise you will get up feeling refreshed, rather than worse?

Exploring Your Nap Motivation

“We can identify three key drivers for napping in the adult population,” explains a professor of sleep science researcher. “The first is termed recovery napping, essentially the action you take after experiencing insufficient sleep overnight. Secondly, there's prophylactic napping, where you are pre-empting insufficient sleep in the future, for instance when working graveyard shifts. The third reason is “pleasure-based sleep”, which essentially comes down to the wish: there is an opportunity to nap in the afternoon, and it's enjoyable to indulge.”

The primary task to do, so, is consider why you want to nap. “Daytime sleep can be really helpful when night sleeping is disturbed for reasons you cannot change – for example, when you are caring for an infant, or you’re recovering from illness or strenuous activity,” says a sleep expert. “But if you’re napping as your nighttime sleep feels fragile or broken, that’s often an indicator your body's sleep pressure is not at the level required. Under those circumstances, naps can become part of the problem, rather than the answer. Use napping as a temporary measure for temporary issues – the main goal must always be a strong and predictable sleep at night.”

The Optimal Snooze Time

This means that daytime sleep ought not to be long enough to interfere with your overnight rest, and ideally shouldn’t take place in the late afternoon (contingent on the time you sleep overnight). What duration is wise? Recommendations vary. Among the most referenced research regarding daytime sleep, experts discovered that astronauts had up to a 54% increase in vigilance plus a 34% rise in performance after a 26-minute nap (in detail, this included a six-minute sleep onset time). “I’d suggest setting a timer for 20 to 30 minutes – many individuals are asleep in under ten minutes,” says a specialist. “There is plenty of advice around about the optimal amount for sleeping, however, that can cause people to feel more anxious than anything else – and the least helpful action you can possibly do when trying to nod off is to be anxious.”

If you’re going to take an extended nap, bypass the 45 to 60 minute range that encourages that sluggish feeling, that spaced-out feeling when you wake. “The science would say it's more effective to take an extended nap lasting 60-90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” says the professor. “Forty-five minutes is sufficient to plunge you into deep sleep and it is more probable to feel sluggish when you wake up – however, if you nap for slightly longer to an hour or 90 minutes, you will probably to be completing of a sleep cycle and are likely to get up feeling more alert. However, if you nap for a long period, it may impact the quality of your sleep in the evening.”

Finding an Ideal Nap Environment

As for specific techniques, suggestions are diverse. A few professionals propose adopting similar routines you’d use to foster restful sleep: a silent space, a cozy bed and as much darkness as you can manage. Some advise that you should simply nap on a couch in the existing light happens to be around – both to discourage sleep inertia and to “protect” your bed as the place you associate with nighttime rest. “Falling asleep is notoriously difficult to force,” explains a specialist. “Lacking the urge to sleep, it is more challenging to get comfortable and practically instruct yourself to nod off. There’s got to be some sleep pressure available to initiate sleep initially. Personally, I can often take a nap in full light and naturally wake up without a timer, however, what assists a lot of people is to look for a time that they’re naturally feeling a bit drowsy and then simply allow sleep to come.”

It’s worth experimenting, and when you have few options – for example, if you’re trying to squeeze in 40 winks during a commute or at the office – there’s nothing wrong to use a few tools. “Coaching professional sportspeople, I recommend that they avoid becoming accustomed to sleeping in their bed, since they’re going to have|they will