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Tune into enough productivity podcasters, making it simple to believe that a nap is a superpower: not just a quick fix after poor sleep, but a shortcut to enhanced cognition, a brighter outlook and perhaps a faster 5k run time. Elite footballers swear by it – and so are professional piano players, mixed martial artists & business leaders. Yet, when you haven’t got a special sleep space or employment that encourages regular snoozing, can there *honestly* sufficient advantages to a quick nap to merit the kerfuffle? Can you find a reliable way to fall asleep fast? Furthermore, can you truly ensure you will get up feeling better, instead of groggy?

Understanding Your Drive to Snooze

“We can identify three primary motivations for daytime sleep in the adult population,” says a professor of sleep science professor. “One is known as make-up sleep, essentially what happens following a lack of sleep the night before. The second is prophylactic napping, where you are preparing for insufficient sleep in the future, for instance during graveyard shifts. Finally, there's “hedonic napping”, which simply boils down to wanting: you have a moment to sleep in the afternoon, and it's enjoyable to nap.”

The primary task to consider, then, is consider your nap motivation. “Naps can be genuinely useful when night sleeping is being disrupted because of factors beyond your control – for example, if you’re a new parent, or if you are healing from illness or strenuous activity,” explains a sleep specialist. “But if you nap as your night sleep seems unreliable or unreliable, that can be a signal your sleep drive is not where it needs to be. In those cases, daytime sleep can turn into part of the problem, instead of the fix. Utilize daytime sleep for brief periods to address immediate needs – the main goal must always be a strong and predictable overnight rest.”

The Perfect Nap Length

This means that naps ought not to be too extended to affect your sleep at night, and best are not recommended in the late afternoon (contingent on what time you sleep at night). How long is sensible? Advice differs. In one of the most-cited studies about napping, space agency scientists discovered that astronauts had up to a 54% increase in vigilance plus a 34% rise in task performance after a 26-minute nap (to be precise, this included a six-minute long sleep onset time). “I recommend using an alarm for 20-30 minutes – the majority are asleep within 10 minutes,” explains a specialist. “You'll find much guidance out there about the optimal amount for sleeping, however, that can make people feel more stressed than anything – and the worst thing one can do when trying to get to sleep is worry about it.”

If you plan to nap for a longer period, bypass the 45 to 60 minute range that promotes sleep grogginess, that foggy state upon waking. “The science indicates it's more effective to have a longer nap lasting 60-90 minutes compared to a medium-length nap,” says the professor. “45 minutes is sufficient to plunge you into a deep sleep stage and it is more probable to feel disoriented upon awakening – while if you nap for slightly longer to a full sleep cycle, it's likely you'll to finish a full cycle and should awaken feeling more alert. Though if you’re sleeping for 90 minutes, it may impact your sleep that night.”

Finding the Right Snooze Setting

When it comes to exact methodologies, advice differs. Certain specialists recommend using comparable habits you’d use to encourage restful sleep: a quiet room, a comfortable bed and as much darkness as possible. Alternatively, experts propose that you should merely snooze on a couch with ambient lighting is present – both to discourage post-nap grogginess and to “protect” your sleeping quarters as the place your brain links with nighttime rest. “Napping is notoriously difficult to will,” notes an expert. “Without any drowsiness, it is more challenging to get comfortable and basically command yourself to nod off. There’s got to be some drive there to bring the sleep on in the first place. Personally, I can often take a nap in broad daylight and naturally wake up without a timer, though, what aids most folks is to wait for a time when they are naturally feeling a bit drowsy and calmly allow sleep to come.”

Trying different approaches is valuable, and should options are scarce – such as, if you’re trying to squeeze in a quick nap while traveling or in a work pod – it is perfectly fine to use some accessories. “In my work with elite athletes, I suggest that they avoid becoming accustomed to napping in bed, because they’re going to have|they will