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Hear enough productivity podcasters, and you'll be easy to convince yourself that dozing is a secret weapon: not just a quick fix after a bad night’s sleep, but a path towards improved recall, better spirits and maybe a faster 5k run time. Professional soccer players are all at it – along with concert pianists, UFC champions & business leaders. But if you lack a room for napping or a job that allows regular snoozing, are there *really* enough benefits to a quick nap for it to be worth the hassle? Does there exist a reliable way to fall asleep fast? And can you truly ensure you’ll wake up feeling refreshed, instead of groggy?

Understanding The Drive to Snooze

“Experts note three key drivers for napping among most adults,” notes an expert sleep science specialist. “Firstly, there's what we call recovery napping, that is what you do when you’ve had insufficient sleep the previous night. The second is pre-emptive sleep, where you are anticipating a sleep deficit coming up, such as if you’re working graveyard shifts. Finally, there's “hedonic napping”, which basically boils down to desire: there is a moment to sleep during the day, and it's enjoyable to indulge.”

The first thing to consider, therefore, is to think about why you want to nap. “Daytime sleep can be truly beneficial when overnight rest is disturbed due to causes beyond your control – such as, if you’re a new parent, or you’re recovering from illness or strenuous activity,” explains a sleep physiologist. “Yet when you’re napping because your nighttime sleep feels fragile or unreliable, that is frequently a signal your need for sleep is not as strong as it needs to be. Under those circumstances, naps can become part of the issue, not the solution. Use napping as a temporary measure for temporary issues – the main goal ought to remain a robust and regular overnight rest.”

The Ideal Nap Length

This means that naps ought not to be too extended to disrupt your overnight rest, and ideally are not recommended after about 3pm (depending on what time you retire at night). What's a reasonable length? Recommendations vary. Among the most referenced research about napping, space agency scientists found that crew members had up to a 54% increase in vigilance plus a 34% rise in cognitive performance after a 26-minute nap (in detail, this involved a six-minute nodding-off period). “I’d suggest using an alarm for 20 to 30 minutes – the majority fall asleep quickly,” says a specialist. “There’s a lot of recommendations about the optimal amount for sleeping, however, that can make people feel more stressed than anything – and the least helpful action you can possibly do while aiming to fall asleep is to stress over it.”

Should you decide to take an extended nap, steer clear of the period between 45 and 60 minutes that promotes that sluggish feeling, that disoriented sensation upon waking. “Studies would say it’s better to have a lengthier snooze of one to one and a half hours rather than a mid-length nap,” notes the sleep scientist. “Three-quarters of an hour is long enough to send you into deep sleep making it more likely to feel groggy upon awakening – while if you nap for slightly longer to 60 or 90 minutes, it's likely you'll to be on the end of a sleep cycle and are likely to get up feeling more rejuvenated. Though if you're dozing for 90 minutes, it may impact the quality of your sleep later that night.”

Finding an Ideal Nap Environment

As for specific techniques, recommendations vary. Certain specialists recommend adopting similar routines you use to foster a good night’s sleep: a peaceful area, a cozy bed and as much darkness as is feasible. Alternatively, experts propose that it's fine to just doze in a chair in whatever light is present – to avoid sleep inertia and to “protect” your bed as the space you associate with nighttime rest. “Falling asleep is notoriously difficult to command,” explains a sleep coach. “Without the urge to sleep, it becomes harder to lie down and practically instruct yourself to nod off. There must be some drive available to start the process in the first place. Personally, I can often snooze during the day and naturally wake up alarm-free, but what helps a lot of people is to anticipate a time where they feel naturally feeling a bit drowsy and calmly ease into sleep.”

It’s worth experimenting, and should options are scarce – for instance, if attempting to fit in 40 winks on a train or in a work pod – there’s nothing wrong to employ a few tools. “Coaching professional sportspeople, I suggest that they not rely on their own bed for naps, as they’re going to have|they will