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Tune into enough self-improvement experts, and you'll be easy to think that a nap is a superpower: not just a band-aid after a bad night’s sleep, but a path towards enhanced cognition, a brighter outlook and perhaps quicker running times. Professional athletes do it regularly – along with concert pianists, UFC champions and business leaders. But if you haven’t got a special sleep space or employment that allows daytime sleep, can there *honestly* enough benefits to a burst of shut-eye for it to be worth the kerfuffle? Can you find a reliable way to get to sleep quickly enough? Plus, is it possible to really guarantee you will get up feeling improved, not worse?

Understanding The Drive to Snooze

“We can identify three primary motivations for daytime sleep among most adults,” says a leading sleep science researcher. “Firstly, there's termed recovery napping, which is the action you take when you’ve had a lack of sleep overnight. The second is prophylactic napping, which involves pre-empting a sleep deficit coming up, such as if you’re working on night shifts. The third reason is “appetitive drive”, which simply boils down to wanting: there is a chance to sleep during the day, and it's enjoyable to do it.”

The first thing to undertake, then, is consider why you want to nap. “Napping can be genuinely useful when overnight rest is disturbed due to causes you cannot change – for example, when you are a parent of a newborn, or recovering from sickness or heavy physical exertion,” says a sleep specialist. “But if you’re napping since your night sleep feels fragile or unreliable, that’s often an indicator your need for sleep is not as strong as required. Under those circumstances, napping can become part of the problem, not the solution. Utilize daytime sleep as a temporary measure to address immediate needs – the priority must always be a robust and regular overnight rest.”

The Optimal Nap Duration

This means that naps ought not to be sufficiently lengthy to interfere with your sleep at night, and best shouldn’t take place post-3 p.m. (contingent on what time you retire at night). What's a reasonable length? Advice differs. Among the most referenced research on the subject, space agency scientists noted that astronauts experienced improvements of over 50% in vigilance and a 34% boost in cognitive performance following a nap of 26 minutes (technically, this counted a six-minute long falling asleep phase). “I’d suggest setting an alarm for 20-30 minutes – many individuals fall asleep quickly,” says a sleep coach. “There is plenty of advice around concerning the perfect length of minutes, however, that can lead individuals to become more worried than anything else – and the least helpful action you can do when trying to nod off is to stress over it.”

If you’re going to nap for a longer period, bypass the period between 45 and 60 minutes that encourages sleep inertia, that foggy state upon waking. “Research indicates it is preferable to opt for an extended nap lasting 60-90 minutes rather than a mid-length nap,” notes the expert. “Forty-five minutes is enough time to send you into deep sleep and it is more probable to feel sluggish when you wake up – however, if you take it a little longer to a full sleep cycle, you will probably to finish a natural sleep cycle and are likely to wake up feeling more refreshed. But if you’re sleeping for a long period, it may impact your sleep that night.”

Establishing the Right Snooze Setting

When it comes to specific techniques, recommendations vary. Some experts recommend using the same protocol one would use to foster restful sleep: a peaceful area, a cozy bed and as much darkness as is feasible. Some advise that one could just doze on a couch with ambient lighting is present – both to discourage sleep inertia and to preserve your bedroom as the place your mind associates with proper sleep. “Sleep is quite challenging to command,” explains an expert. “If you don’t have any sleepiness, it is tougher to recline and basically command yourself to fall asleep. There must be some sleep pressure there to initiate sleep in the first place. I can usually take a nap during the day and wake up naturally without an alarm, however, what assists a lot of people is to anticipate a moment that they’re naturally somewhat sleepy and then simply allow sleep to come.”

It’s worth experimenting, and should you have few options – such as, if attempting to fit in 40 winks while traveling or at the office – it's acceptable to employ a few tools. “In my work with elite athletes, I suggest that they avoid becoming accustomed to their own bed for naps, as they’re going to have|they will