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Hear a few productivity podcasters, making it simple to think that dozing is a superpower: not just a sticking plaster following restless night, but a shortcut to a better memory, a brighter outlook and possibly a faster 5k run time. Professional footballers are all at it – along with professional piano players, fighters & media moguls. However, if you don't have a room for napping or a job that encourages daytime sleep, is it *truly* sufficient advantages to a short sleep to justify the effort? Is there a reliable way to nod off promptly? Plus, is it possible to really guarantee you will get up feeling refreshed, not worse?

Exploring Your Drive to Snooze

“Experts note three primary motivations for daytime sleep in the adult population,” explains a leading circadian rhythm specialist. “The first is what we call make-up sleep, that is the action you take when you’ve had poor sleep the previous night. Another is preparatory napping, which involves anticipating sleep loss coming up, such as when working on night shifts. Finally, there's “pleasure-based sleep”, which basically comes down to wanting: there is an opportunity to nap in the afternoon, and it feels nice to indulge.”

The initial step to do, so, is consider your reason for napping. “Daytime sleep can be truly beneficial when overnight rest is being disrupted due to causes you cannot change – for instance, when you are a parent of a newborn, or you’re recovering after being ill or intense exercise,” states a sleep specialist. “Yet when you take a nap as your night sleep seems unreliable or broken, that’s often an indicator your need for sleep is not where it needs to be. In such situations, naps can become part of the problem, rather than the answer. Utilize daytime sleep for brief periods to address immediate needs – the main goal must always be a solid and consistent overnight rest.”

The Perfect Nap Duration

Therefore that naps must not be long enough to affect your overnight rest, and ideally shouldn’t take place post-3 p.m. (depending on the time you retire at night). What's a reasonable length? Recommendations vary. In one of the most-cited studies on the subject, experts noted that space travelers had a boost of up to 54% in alertness and a 34% increase in cognitive performance post a 26-minute snooze (in detail, this included a six-minute nodding-off period). “I recommend using an alarm for 20-30 minutes – the majority fall asleep quickly,” explains a sleep coach. “There is plenty of guidance out there about the ideal number of time, but that tends to lead individuals to become more anxious than anything – and the most counterproductive thing you can do when attempting to nod off is to be anxious.”

Should you decide to sleep for longer, steer clear of the 45-60 minute window that encourages sleep inertia, that foggy state when you wake. “Research would say it's more effective to opt for a longer nap lasting 60-90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” explains the expert. “45 minutes is long enough to send you into deep sleep making it more likely to feel groggy when you get up – whereas if you extend it a bit longer to an hour or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to be completing a natural sleep cycle and are likely to awaken feeling more refreshed. Though if you nap for 90 minutes, it can influence how you sleep in the evening.”

Creating the Right Snooze Setting

When it comes to exact methodologies, advice differs. Some experts propose using the same protocol you use to promote restful sleep: a peaceful area, a supportive surface and minimal light as possible. Some advise that you should simply nap on the sofa in whatever light happens to be around – both to discourage that groggy feeling and to maintain your bedroom as the space your mind associates with proper sleep. “Napping is quite challenging to command,” notes an expert. “Lacking the urge to sleep, it becomes harder to recline and essentially instruct yourself to nod off. There’s got to be some sleep pressure present to bring the sleep on to begin with. Personally, I can often nap in broad daylight and naturally wake up without an alarm, but what helps a lot of people is to look for a time where they feel naturally feeling a bit drowsy and just gently allow sleep to come.”

It’s worth experimenting, and if you have few options – such as, when aiming to squeeze in some shut-eye on a train or in a soundproof office pod – there’s nothing wrong with bringing a few tools. “When I’m working with footballers, I suggest that they avoid becoming accustomed to napping in bed, because they’re going to have|they will