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Listen to enough self-improvement gurus, making it easy to think that a nap is a powerful tool: rather than a sticking plaster following restless night, but a route to a better memory, improved mood and maybe a faster 5k run time. Professional footballers swear by it – and so are musicians, UFC champions & business leaders. However, if you don't have a special sleep space or a job that permits regular snoozing, is it *truly* worthwhile perks to a quick nap to justify the hassle? Is there a reliable way to get to sleep quickly enough? And can you really guarantee you’ll wake up feeling refreshed, rather than worse?

Exploring The Reasons for Napping

“There are three primary motivations for daytime sleep among most adults,” says an expert circadian rhythm professor. “Firstly, there's known as compensatory napping, that is what happens following poor sleep overnight. Secondly, there's preparatory napping, when you are anticipating insufficient sleep coming up, such as during graveyard shifts. The third reason is “appetitive drive”, which simply comes down to the wish: there is a chance to doze during the day, and it's enjoyable to do it.”

The initial step to consider, therefore, is to examine why you want to nap. “Naps can be genuinely useful when overnight rest is being disrupted because of factors beyond your control – such as, for caring for an infant, or recovering after being ill or intense exercise,” says a sleep physiologist. “Yet when you’re napping since your nighttime sleep is unstable or poor, that’s often a signal your need for sleep is not where it needs to be. Under those circumstances, napping can become part of the problem, instead of the fix. Utilize daytime sleep as a temporary measure for short-term problems – the priority should still be a robust and regular overnight rest.”

The Perfect Snooze Time

Therefore that napping must not be long enough to disrupt your overnight rest, and preferably are not recommended in the late afternoon (depending on what time you go to bed overnight). What's a reasonable length? Recommendations vary. From a prominent study on the subject, researchers at Nasa discovered that space travelers had up to a 54% increase in attentiveness and a 34% increase in cognitive performance following a nap of 26 minutes (to be precise, this counted a six-minute long sleep onset time). “I recommend setting a timer for half an hour or less – many individuals fall asleep within 10 minutes,” explains a sleep coach. “You'll find much guidance out there concerning the optimal amount of time, but that tends to cause people to feel more stressed than anything – and the least helpful action one can do while aiming to get to sleep is worry about it.”

Should you decide to nap for a longer period, bypass the 45 to 60 minute range that induces sleep inertia, that disoriented sensation upon waking. “The science suggests it’s better to have an extended nap of one to one and a half hours rather than a mid-length nap,” explains the sleep scientist. “45 minutes is enough time to plunge you into slow-wave sleep making it more likely to feel sluggish when you wake up – however, if you take it a bit longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you will probably to finish a full cycle and will probably wake up feeling more rejuvenated. Though if you’re sleeping for a long period, it can influence how you sleep in the evening.”

Finding the Right Snooze Setting

As for precise methods, recommendations vary. Some experts suggest adopting similar routines one would use to foster quality nighttime sleep: a silent space, a comfortable bed and minimal light as is feasible. Alternatively, experts propose that one could simply nap on the sofa with ambient lighting is present – both to discourage sleep inertia and to “protect” your bedroom as the environment your brain links with nighttime rest. “Napping is quite challenging to force,” explains a specialist. “If you don’t have any sleepiness, it is tougher to get comfortable and practically instruct yourself to nod off. There’s got to be a natural inclination present to bring the sleep on to begin with. Personally, I can often nap in full light and naturally wake up alarm-free, however, what assists many individuals is to anticipate a time where they feel naturally somewhat sleepy and then simply relax into it.”

It’s worth experimenting, and should options are scarce – such as, if attempting to squeeze in a quick nap on a train or in a work pod – there’s nothing wrong with bringing a few tools. “When I’m working with professional sportspeople, I advise that they don’t get used to their own bed for naps, since they’re going to have|they will