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Listen to a few performance podcasters, and it’s tempting to think that a nap is a powerful tool: not just a band-aid following poor sleep, but a path to improved recall, improved mood and possibly a faster 5k run time. Premier League athletes are all at it – along with concert pianists, fighters & business leaders. However, if you lack a special sleep space or a job that allows daytime sleep, are there *really* sufficient advantages to a short sleep for it to be worth the kerfuffle? Can you find a reliable way to fall asleep fast? And can you really guarantee you will get up feeling improved, rather than worse?

Exploring Your Drive to Snooze

“Experts note three main reasons for napping for many people,” explains a professor of sleep and circadian science researcher. “The first is termed make-up sleep, essentially what happens when you’ve had poor sleep the night before. The second is prophylactic napping, where you are pre-empting a sleep deficit in the future, for example when working on night shifts. The third is called “appetitive drive”, which basically comes down to desire: there is a moment to sleep in the afternoon, and it's enjoyable to do it.”

The first thing to consider, so, is to examine why you want to nap. “Napping can be genuinely useful when night sleeping is being disrupted due to causes you cannot change – such as, for a new parent, or you’re recovering from illness or strenuous activity,” explains a sleep physiologist. “However, if you take a nap since your nighttime sleep is unstable or broken, that’s often a sign your sleep drive is not as strong as it should be. In such situations, naps can become part of the issue, rather than the answer. Use napping as a short-term solution to address immediate needs – the priority should still be a robust and regular sleep at night.”

The Perfect Snooze Time

Therefore that daytime sleep shouldn’t be too extended to affect your nighttime sleep, and preferably should not occur after about 3pm (based on the time you sleep at night). What's a reasonable length? Guidelines are mixed. In one of a prominent study on the subject, experts found that space travelers experienced a boost of up to 54% in alertness plus a 34% rise in performance post a 26-minute snooze (technically, this involved a six-minute falling asleep phase). “I’d suggest using an alarm for 20-30 minutes – many individuals fall asleep within 10 minutes,” says a sleep coach. “There’s a lot of recommendations about the perfect length of minutes, but that tends to lead individuals to become more worried than anything else – and the most counterproductive thing you can possibly do while aiming to nod off is worry about it.”

Should you decide to take an extended nap, bypass the period between 45 and 60 minutes that induces sleep inertia, that foggy state when you awaken. “The science indicates it’s better to opt for a longer nap of one to one and a half hours compared to a medium-length nap,” explains the expert. “45 minutes is long enough to put you into deep sleep and you’re more likely to feel disoriented when you get up – whereas if you take it a little longer to a full sleep cycle, you’re likely to finish a full cycle and should get up feeling more refreshed. But if you nap for a long period, it can influence your sleep that night.”

Establishing the Perfect Snooze Setting

When it comes to precise methods, suggestions are diverse. Certain specialists suggest employing similar routines you use to promote a good night’s sleep: a peaceful area, a cozy bed and maximum darkness as you can manage. Alternatively, experts propose that one could simply nap in a chair in the existing light is available – to prevent that groggy feeling and to maintain your sleeping quarters as the space you associate with nighttime rest. “Napping is something really tricky to will,” says a sleep coach. “If you don’t have any drowsiness, it becomes harder to get comfortable and practically instruct yourself to nod off. There’s got to be some drive there to bring the sleep on in the first place. For me, it's possible to take a nap in broad daylight and naturally wake up without an alarm, though, what aids a lot of people is to wait for an instance when they are naturally feeling a bit drowsy and just gently ease into sleep.”

It’s worth experimenting, and when your choices are limited – for example, if you’re trying to fit in 40 winks while traveling or in a work pod – it is perfectly fine to employ sleep aids. “When I’m working with professional sportspeople, I advise that they not rely on their own bed for naps, since they’re going to have|they will