lListen to enough productivity podcasters, and it's easy to convince yourself that sleep is a superpower: not just a Band-Aid after a bad night's sleep, but a path to better memory, better mood, and maybe a faster 5K run. All Premier League footballers do this, as do professional pianists. UFC Champions And Arianna Huffington. But if you don't have a dedicated room for sleeping or a job that encourages regular sleep, is there Really Are the benefits of a short nap enough to make it worth it? Is there a reliable way to fall asleep quickly enough? And can you really guarantee that you'll wake up feeling better, not worse?
“There are three main reasons for napping in most adults,” says Claire Anderson, professor of sleep and circadian sciences at the University of Birmingham. “The first is what we call compensatory sleep, which is what you do when you don't get enough sleep the night before. The second is preventative sleep, where you preempt the onset of insufficient sleep, for example, if you work a night shift. The third is called 'appetitive drive,' which basically comes down to a desire: you have the opportunity to sleep during the day and you feel good about doing it.”
So the first thing to do is think about your motivation for sleep. “Sleep can be really helpful when nighttime sleep is disrupted for reasons beyond your control—for example, if you've just given birth or are recovering from an illness or strenuous exercise,” says Stephanie Romiszewski, a sleep physiologist and author of Think Smaller. Sleep More. “But if you're napping because your night's sleep feels fragile or unreliable, it's often a sign that your sleep needs aren't what they should be. In those cases, naps can become part of the problem rather than the solution. Use naps as a short-term solution to short-term problems—the priority should still be getting a good, predictable night's sleep.”
This means that the nap should not be long enough to interfere with your sleep at night, and ideally it should not start after 3pm (depending on what time you go to bed at night). How long is reasonable? Recommendations vary. In one of most cited studies On this subject, NASA found that after a 26-minute nap (technically this included a six-minute sleep period), astronauts experienced a 54% increase in alertness and a 34% increase in productivity. “I'd recommend setting your alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – most people fall asleep within 10 minutes,” says sleep expert James Wilson. “There's a lot of advice out there about the ideal number of minutes to sleep, but that tends to make people more anxious than anything else, and the worst thing you can do when trying to sleep is worry about it.”
If you're going to sleep longer, avoid the 45-60 minute window, which promotes sleep inertia, a feeling of being distant when you wake up. “Science says it's better to sleep longer, 60 to 90 minutes, than to sleep for an average amount of time,” Anderson says. “Forty-five minutes is long enough to put you into a deep sleep, and you'll likely feel drowsy when you wake up – whereas if you extend it a little longer, to 60 or 90 minutes, you'll likely find yourself at the end of your sleep cycle and will likely wake up feeling more rested. Although, if you sleep for 90 minutes, it will affect how you sleep that night.”
In terms of exact methodologies, recommendations vary. Some experts suggest using the same protocol you'd use for a good night's sleep: a quiet room, a comfortable bed, and as much darkness as possible. Others suggest simply taking a nap on the couch in any light, both to counteract sleep inertia and to “protect” your bedroom as a place with which your mind associates. real sleep. “Inducing sleep is very difficult,” says sleep coach Tracy Hannigan. “If you're not sleepy, it's harder to lie down and essentially force yourself to sleep. There needs to be some kind of stimulus to get you to sleep in the first place. I can usually take a nap in broad daylight and wake up naturally without an alarm, but what works for a lot of people is to wait until they naturally feel a little drowsy and just gently relax during that time.”
It's worth experimenting, and if your options are limited – for example, if you're trying to wink 40 times on a train or in a soundproof office pod – there's no harm in bringing some accessories with you. “When I work with football players, I tell them not to get used to napping in bed because they're going to have to do a lot of learning to sleep on the go, whether it's in hotel rooms or with the team coach,” Wilson says. “But what we do in this case is take an eye mask and headphones and listen to something relaxing. The mask is a useful tool because over time your body learns to make associations and say, 'Oh, okay, we'll take a nap now.'
Other rituals, from deep breathing to casting Archers, work in a similar way: If you only perform them when you're ready to get some sleep, your nervous system should quickly make the associations. But if you choose music, Wilson says, it should be something you enjoy, not something you think will help you sleep. “I meet a surprising number of people who think they should listen to whales or Enya or something like that,” he says. “But if it's none of your business, you'll be too annoyed by it to actually go to sleep.” It's worth noting that napping is a skill that can be improved with practice. one interesting study successful athletes suggests they have high levels of what scientists call “sleepiness,” which means they're good at immersing themselves in the land of nods. It's possible (although not mentioned in the study) that this ability to tune out the outside world also makes them successful in their chosen sport: if you can take a penalty while the crowd is cheering, why wouldn't you wink at a noisy coach 40 times?
As for getting up after sleep, it should be normal and natural: if you wake up more groggy than at first, this is a clear sign that you slept too long. If you really want to speed up the whole process, the “caffeine nap,” endorsed by productivity advocates, actually works: “Caffeine takes about 20 minutes to enter your system, so drinking a cup of espresso before you lie down can help you be more alert when you wake up,” says Anderson. Just remember to avoid caffeine after 3 pm so it doesn't interfere with your night's sleep.
Is there an argument for forcing sleep even if you already get a decent amount of sleep, manage to get everything done during the day, and don't feel particularly tired? For example, one of the most famous studies of “deliberate practice” found that many best musicians reported sleeping daily, while some studies reported that about 50% of athletes regularly naps during the day. But perhaps this means you only really need to take a nap if you're putting your body, brain, or both under serious stress. “The general rule for athletes is to sleep nine or 10 hours, not seven to nine hours,” says Wilson. “I don't really like putting numbers on these things, but for those who exercise a lot, part of the equation is that they probably just need more sleep in general.”
Meanwhile, if you're feeling low in the afternoon, it's worth remembering that it's just part of your body's natural rhythms and not a sign that you need to smack your pillow into the conference room. “It's probably not because you had a big lunch, but because of your natural circadian rhythm,” says Anderson. “Sure, there is some evidence that naps are associated with increased alertness, decreased fatigue, etc., but you don't need it every day to reap the benefits. It can be taken as needed.”
In other words, if you have time to take a nap, you enjoy doing it, and it makes you feel more awake than unconscious, then it's worth it. If you feel fine without it, you have nothing to lose. “If you wake up rested, function well, and stay alert throughout the day, sleep won't improve your performance because there's not much to fix,” Romiszewski says. “Treat sleep as an occasional boost when life calls for it, rather than as a daily strategy. A strong baseline of sleep based on a regular morning routine—a regular wake-up time followed by light exposure, movement, and realistic expectations—will always beat an ideal sleep routine.”
