Strategic napping

There are many products and recommendations provided for international business and leisure travellers to cope with jet lag. Sometimes, however, the most effective strategy is the simplest. If you want to maximise your sleep you need to strategically plan when and where to sleep.

One of the challenges of time-zone travel is that you end up having to sleep at a time when your body clock wants you to be awake, and having to be awake when your body clock wants you to be asleep.

When you are travelling, try to keep track of what time it is for your body (starting with your home time). Calculate when you would usually be sleeping, then identify what time of day it is at your destination. When you're away, try to plan sleep periods that take advantage of your body's natural programming for sleep. If your usual sleep period at home turns out to be in the middle of the day at your destination, at least try to schedule a nap during that time.

"Napping is an extremely effective way to increase productivity and alertness - even 40 minutes will do some good, if that's all you can get."
Dr Chris Idzikowski, UK sleep expert.

How to get the most from your planned naps:

• Generally, getting more sleep is better than less, and less is better than none
• Specifically, if you have a short period of time available, consider a nap of 45 minutes. This will minimise the possible sleepiness or grogginess upon awakening
• If you have a longer period of time available consider a longer nap about two hours in length. This will allow your body to go through the full sleep cycle
• After a longer nap allow about 15 minutes to 'wake up' before your next activity
• Research has shown that even if you don't feel better, performance and alertness is still usually improved
• Don't take a long nap too close to your main sleep period
• Napping in the middle of the day is not a sign of laziness. It is a sign of very sensible sleep management: a simple strategy that works!

The golden rule for strategic sleep: get as much sleep as possible, when you can. If in doubt, sleep. It's good for you.

These very productive, famous people could probably put the secret of their success down to their napping strategy:

Sir Winston Churchill
Churchill apparently was very open about his love of naps and engaged in them frequently. He is reported to have said the following:

"You must sleep sometime between lunch and dinner, and no halfway measures. Take off your clothes and get into bed. That's what I always do. Don't think you will be doing less work because you sleep during the day. That's a foolish notion held by people who have no imagination. You will be able to accomplish more. You get two days in one - well at least one and a half, I'm sure. When the war started, I had to sleep during the day, because it was the only way I could cope with my responsibilities."
(Anthony, W., The Art of Napping, New York: Larson Publications 1997, p19)

Salvador Dali
The famous painter had a very idiosyncratic but reportedly effective napping strategy. He would sit in a chair with a spoon in his hand over a tin plate. When he fell asleep the spoon would fall onto the plate, making a noise and waking him up. He said that even such a brief nap would refresh him.

Thomas Edison
The inventor of the electric light bulb would be horrified to find himself listed amongst famous nappers. Edison believed that sleep was a waste of time, and proudly reported that he only slept 4 hours a night. He hoped that his invention of the electric light bulb would help people reduce their 'unproductive' sleep time. Despite his reported disdain for sleep, it turns out that Mr Edison supplemented his night sleep with naps. He was reported to take two 3-hour naps each day.