What you didn't know about naps
Did you know that a nap for 9 minutes can improve alertness, reaction time, and cognition?
The ONE thing all football players could benefit from is increasing the quantity and quality of their sleep and definitely becoming more consistent with their sleep time.
The thing is that sleep habits are extremely hard to build. On a scale of 1 to 10, they would be a 10 in terms of the impact they have on health, performance, body composition, and more. But in terms of the facility to incorporate these habits, they are likely a 1 or a 2. Everyone knows they need to get better at sleeping, yet everyone still struggles with it.
This is why we will discuss napping today. Waking up later is not always possible; your day starts when it starts, and you need to get a couple things done before you start work or go to school. Going to bed earlier is often possible but hard to do as the more the day goes, the lazier we get and the more we tend to procrastinate. Next thing you know, it would be your desired time to be asleep, and you still have too many things to do.... So, you procrastinate even more while stressing how tired you'll be the following day.
Taking a nap, as short as 10-20 minutes, can fit into most athletes' schedules and improve their performance, especially if they train later in the day.
The impact of naps on skills acquisition
Your brain consolidates memory while you sleep. This means that if you learn something important, or even a skill, you need quality sleep to allow your brain to soak and remember it. It's essential for skills consolidation (think of new movements in the gym, catching a football and applying new techniques your coach taught you). What people call "muscle memory" is greatly improved through sleep. Napping after a study session or in the middle of the day after a skills practice could help you get better faster.
Enhanced Focus and Reaction Time
Whenever possible, taking a Power Nap an hour or two before a running, lifting session, or even practice can help with mental clarity and focus. This is a simple but very effective tool for improving performance in a sport like football.
Many studies have found that athletes' reaction time is significantly improved after a nap. Reaction time is one of the hardest things to train for athletes and one of the most significant performance factors. Lack of sleep hurts reaction time; if you are sleep-deprived and nap, you could be way better on the field.
Increased Stamina and Energy
In cases of 2-a-days, we truly believe that high carbs and a nappucino (more about this later in this article) can have positive impacts on performance in the second session of the day (think of a football practice when you lift during the day). Naps can provide an "energy reset" and help you feel good, especially if you are training later or playing a night game.
Tom Brady is famously known for his love for night games, mainly because they give him an opportunity to take a nap in the afternoon. Here's what he said about it in an interview on NESN.com:
"I do like night games because I always try to get some time of extended rest during the day and hopefully a nap if possible, so I have a lot of energy stored up for the game."
Larry Fitzgerald was also well known for his naps in the facility. You can easily look it up on Google and Youtube.
Mood and Mental Resilience
The last thing we believe is worth mentioning when talking about naps for football players is that they help with mood, manage stress, and stay calm when pressure rises. These are very important assets for football players.
If you can handle stress better and stay calm when the games get more significant and critical, you will likely perform better and help your team win those big games.
Naps for Physical Recovery:
Taking a nap in the early afternoon can truly be helpful for muscle and nervous system recovery.
We live in a fast-paced world in which we rarely stop, are always on the go, and are chronically stressed. Taking the time to slow down, relax, and take a nap helps lower your cortisol, adrenaline, and noradrenaline. It gives a little break to your central nervous system by reducing the sympathetic nervous system activation and increasing your parasympathetic nervous system (the recovery one).
As for muscle recovery, it's quite simple. Our body produces most HGH (human growth hormone) when we sleep. Don't think of HGH as actually growing muscle. It's counterintuitive, but HGH's main role is recovery (among other things). HGH increases allow better muscle recovery and repair.
A little-known fact about naps is that they can also positively impact muscle recovery by decreasing inflammation. As mentioned previously, napping can decrease cortisol and catecholamines and reduce inflammatory cytokine levels. These can benefit better immune health, which is essential for physical recovery.
What's an optimal nap length?
We like to think of nap lengths in two different time scales. The one you choose will depend on the time you have to nap and the benefits you want to reap.
The Power Nap should be 20 minutes or less. And 20 minutes isn't the time to sleep. It starts when you start the countdown timer for 20 minutes, and you get up as soon as the bell rings. It doesn't matter if you are asleep for 19 or 2 minutes of the 20; you will benefit from the relaxation. You should use that one if you want to increase that one. I like those right after lunch when I feel direct and need to be driven and focused on going to work, study or train in the afternoon.
The Full Nap should last 90 minutes. What's cool about a 90-minute nap is that it technically allows you to go through a full sleep cycle. These are best when you have more than 90 minutes, don't feel rushed, and can really relax. Usually, these won't make you feel as alert afterward but can have a greater impact on recovery.
Who said Nappuccino!?
Taking a power nap or a "nappuccino" is a great way to feel more alive, increase alertness, and feel like you are off to a new day. It truly decreases the sleep pressure that builds through the first part of the day and sets you up for success. More often than not, you'll feel more energized, the desire to be productive and to train will be higher, and you'll simply do better.
But what's a nappucino right? You take a nap early in the afternoon, but you take a shot or two of espresso right before. The caffeine rise in your blood should wake you up feeling amazing within 15-20 minutes. In the summer of 2014, I did this before almost every training session in the afternoon. I felt AMAZING!
MVP Tips for Effective Napping
First, you need to take your nap at the right time. It is rarely too early for athletes to take a nap. The more an athlete has to eat, the earlier he has to wake up and eat his first meal to fit them all in. Also, waking up consistently is one of the most important things to focus on for quality sleep. But we've seen athletes wake up at their usual time, hydrate, go for their CC Walk, have breakfast, and nap immediately. We aren't against it, but if you went outside and exposed yourself to daylight beforehand.
Then, the length of your nap matters. Choose between a 20-minute less Power Nap or a full 90-minute Nap. There's no in-between,
Third, creating a nap routine, a nap ritual, is beneficial. One of the world's most outstanding nutritionists, Phil Smith, explained that to take his naps (which he loves taking), he lies on his bed and back, but in the opposite direction/sideways. Doing so helps him get into that naping mode, and he can repeat. Personally, I lay on the couch with my sleep mask, a small blanket & earphones with low meditation sounds. Choose an environment in which you feel good and can repeat without making it too close to what you do to sleep at night.
Common Myths and Misconceptions about Naps
Myth 1: "Naps are for the lazy."
This is extremely far from true. We live in a world of hyper-productivity where people mistake busyness for productivity. Being well-rested makes you more productive and efficient when you work or do something. Taking a 20-minute nap can be a great investment of time and can give amazing ROI for memory & productivity. Tom Brady, Larry Fitzgerald, Travis Kelce, Winston Churchill, John F. Kennedy and even Napoleon Bonaparte are famous for their love of naps... I doubt people would refer to them as lazy.
Myth 2: "Naps are for babies."
C'mon now. Good sleep, good health, and excellent recovery are for everyone. I would be willing to spend so much money that most pro players enjoy their naps. They know the benefits it has on their performance and recovery. The only reason not to take the time to nap is lack of time. And even then, we should make the time.
Myth 3: "Napping ruins nighttime sleep." – Explain how properly timed naps don't interfere with sleep at night.
This could be true, but timing your naps correctly should have a manageable impact (for most people). As soon as you wake, your body produces a metabolite called adenosine, which binds to its receptor. The more adenosine is bound to the receptor, the more tired you feel. It is true that naps "unbound" some of the adenosine from its receptors and decreases sleep pressure. But, if taken early enough (before 3PM for most), enough adenosine has time to bind to its receptor to make you feel sleepy at night.
The MVP Nap Rules
- Never after 3PM.
- Only up to 90 minutes (unless hungover, which we don't recommend).
- Don't sleep a nap.
- Not in your nighttime environment.
Last notes
Naps are not for everyone, but you shouldn't dismiss them if you only try them a couple of times and can't fall asleep. You can get a lot of benefits from just trying to nap (and if you just can't, try NSDR).
Just like sleep, napping is a skill you can develop. And like any other skill, you need practice to be good at it and reap its benefits.
Don't discourage yourself if you can't fall asleep the first time. The last thing you want is to increase stress and frustration because you can't fall asleep.
Naps won't replace good nights of sleep, but these could be the cheapest and most effective way to improve performance and help you become a better football player.
- Coach Marc