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Listen to plenty of self-improvement podcasters, and you'll be easy to believe that dozing is a powerful tool: more than a sticking plaster after restless night, but a route to a better memory, a brighter outlook and perhaps quicker running times. Elite soccer players are all at it – as do concert pianists, mixed martial artists and business leaders. However, if you lack a room for napping or employment that permits regular snoozing, are there *really* enough benefits to a quick nap to justify the effort? Does there exist a dependable method to fall asleep fast? Furthermore, can you really guarantee you will arise feeling refreshed, instead of groggy?

Exploring Your Nap Motivation

“We can identify three primary motivations for napping for many people,” explains an expert circadian rhythm specialist. “One is what we call recovery napping, which is the action you take when you’ve had poor sleep overnight. Secondly, there's preparatory napping, when you are anticipating a sleep deficit in the future, for example when working overnight shifts. The third reason is “pleasure-based sleep”, which basically boils down to wanting: there is an opportunity to sleep during the day, and it's pleasant to nap.”

The primary task to undertake, so, is to examine your nap motivation. “Daytime sleep can be truly beneficial when night sleeping gets interrupted for reasons outside your control – for example, if you’re a new parent, or recovering after being ill or strenuous activity,” explains a sleep physiologist. “But if you take a nap since your nighttime sleep seems unreliable or unreliable, that’s often a signal your sleep drive is not as strong as required. Under those circumstances, daytime sleep can turn into part of the issue, rather than the answer. Use napping as a temporary measure to address immediate needs – the priority should still be a robust and regular sleep at night.”

The Perfect Nap Length

This implies that daytime sleep ought not to be sufficiently lengthy to affect your overnight rest, and best are not recommended post-3 p.m. (depending on when you retire at night). What's a reasonable length? Guidelines are mixed. In one of the most referenced research on the subject, space agency scientists found that astronauts had improvements of over 50% in attentiveness and a 34% boost in performance after a 26-minute nap (technically, this included a six-minute long falling asleep phase). “I’d suggest setting an alarm for 20-30 minutes – many individuals are asleep within 10 minutes,” says a sleep coach. “There is plenty of guidance out there concerning the optimal amount of minutes, but that tends to make people feel more worried than anything else – and the worst thing you can do while aiming to fall asleep is to be anxious.”

If you’re going to take an extended nap, bypass the 45 to 60 minute range that encourages sleep inertia, that disoriented sensation when you awaken. “Research would say it's more effective to take a lengthier snooze of one to one and a half hours compared to a medium-length nap,” says the sleep scientist. “Three-quarters of an hour is enough time to plunge you into slow-wave sleep making it more likely to feel disoriented when you get up – however, if you extend it slightly longer to a full sleep cycle, it's likely you'll to be on the end a full cycle and should wake up feeling more alert. But if you're dozing for a long period, it can influence the quality of your sleep in the evening.”

Establishing an Ideal Sleep Space

When it comes to specific techniques, suggestions are diverse. Some experts suggest using the same protocol you’d use to encourage restful sleep: a quiet room, a supportive surface and maximum darkness as you can manage. Some advise that one could merely snooze on the sofa in whatever light is available – to prevent sleep inertia and to maintain your bed as the environment your brain links with nighttime rest. “Sleep is quite challenging to command,” says a sleep coach. “Without any drowsiness, it is tougher to get comfortable and practically tell yourself to nod off. There’s got to be some sleep pressure available to bring the sleep on in the first place. Personally, I can often snooze during the day and awaken on my own without a timer, though, what aids most folks is to look for a moment where they feel naturally somewhat sleepy and calmly allow sleep to come.”

Experimentation is key, and when options are scarce – for example, if attempting to squeeze in 40 winks during a commute or at the office – it's acceptable to use sleep aids. “Coaching elite athletes, I suggest that they don’t get used to their own bed for naps, since they’re going to have|they will