For me, there’s a big difference between napping and sleeping. Sleeping’s deep and prolonged. Napping is dozing - it’s just below the level of conciousness - and is brief, forty minutes max. I hate sleeping during the day because I wake up all cranky and boboed and it takes me hours to recover. I love napping because I wake up happy and mellow and relaxed. I have a highly irregular schedule, so I just nap whenever it occurs to me and it’s practical to do so, but my best naps are around either 10 am or 2 pm, and in my own bed.

It took me a while to settle into a (way? practice? routine?) that works for me. I’m sure there’s a lot of individual variation. I don’t use any special equipment, and ambient light and sound are unimportant. I just lie down (always on my back, unlike sleep, when I’m always on my side), close my eyes, and let my mind wander. I’m aware of when I start to drift off, and I enjoy that in-between state before I relinquish conciousness. Sometimes I’m only out for a minute or two, but the duration always feels just right.