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Hear plenty of performance experts, making it tempting to convince yourself that a nap is a powerful tool: rather than a band-aid after poor sleep, but a shortcut towards a better memory, a brighter outlook and perhaps a faster 5k run time. Professional athletes swear by it – along with professional piano players, UFC champions & high-profile executives. Yet, when you don't have a dedicated nap-room or a job that permits regular snoozing, are there *really* sufficient advantages to a short sleep for it to be worth the hassle? Is there a surefire technique to fall asleep fast? And can you really guarantee you will arise feeling improved, rather than worse?

Understanding Your Nap Motivation

“Experts note three key drivers for taking a nap for many people,” notes a professor of sleep science professor. “The first is known as compensatory napping, which is the action you take after experiencing insufficient sleep the previous night. Another is prophylactic napping, where you are preparing for a sleep deficit ahead, for example if you’re working overnight shifts. Finally, there's “pleasure-based sleep”, which basically boils down to the wish: you get a moment to doze in the daytime, and it feels nice to indulge.”

The initial step to undertake, then, is to think about why you want to nap. “Daytime sleep can be truly beneficial when overnight rest is being disrupted because of factors beyond your control – for example, if you’re a new parent, or recovering from sickness or heavy physical exertion,” says a sleep specialist. “But if you’re napping as your sleep at night seems unreliable or broken, that’s often an indicator your need for sleep is not as strong as it should be. In those cases, naps can become part of the problem, rather than the answer. Employ naps as a short-term solution to address immediate needs – the priority should still be a solid and consistent overnight rest.”

The Perfect Snooze Time

Therefore that daytime sleep ought not to be sufficiently lengthy to affect your sleep at night, and preferably shouldn’t take place post-3 p.m. (contingent on what time you go to bed in the evening). What's a reasonable length? Advice differs. From the most-cited studies on the subject, space agency scientists found that space travelers experienced up to a 54% increase in alertness and a 34% increase in performance following a nap of 26 minutes (in detail, this included an initial six-minute nodding-off period). “I’d suggest setting a timer for half an hour or less – most people fall asleep quickly,” explains a sleep coach. “There is plenty of recommendations concerning the perfect length for sleeping, but that tends to cause people to feel more worried above all – and the least helpful action you can possibly do when trying to fall asleep is to stress over it.”

If you’re going to take an extended nap, steer clear of the period between 45 and 60 minutes that promotes that sluggish feeling, that disoriented sensation when you awaken. “Research would say it is preferable to have a longer nap lasting 60-90 minutes than a medium-length one,” notes the sleep scientist. “Three-quarters of an hour is sufficient to send you into deep sleep and you’re more likely to feel sluggish upon awakening – however, if you nap for slightly longer to 60 or 90 minutes, you will probably to be completing a natural sleep cycle and should wake up feeling more refreshed. Though if you're dozing for 90 minutes, it will affect how you sleep later that night.”

Finding the Perfect Snooze Setting

As for specific techniques, recommendations vary. A few professionals recommend using similar routines one would use to foster a good night’s sleep: a quiet room, a supportive surface and as much darkness as is feasible. Others suggest that you should simply nap in a chair in whatever light is available – to prevent that groggy feeling and to maintain your sleeping quarters as the place you associate with *real* sleep. “Napping is notoriously difficult to force,” notes an expert. “Lacking the urge to sleep, it is tougher to recline and basically instruct yourself to go to sleep. There must be some drive present to initiate sleep initially. For me, it's possible to nap in full light and wake up naturally without a timer, but what helps many individuals is to look for a moment when they are naturally slightly tired and then simply relax into it.”

It’s worth experimenting, and when options are scarce – for example, when aiming to squeeze in some shut-eye on a train or at the office – it's acceptable to employ a few tools. “When I’m working with footballers, I suggest that they not rely on napping in bed, as they’re going to have|they will