Napping 101: Everything You Need to Know About Power Naps

Sometimes, no matter how much quality sleep we've had, some days just make us feel exhausted. And some nights, sometimes for no real reason, sleep evades us, leaving us drained and cranky the following day. When daytime tiredness hits, it can impact productivity, mood¹ and, in extreme cases, safety². Whether you're working on an important project, looking forward to an evening out or in the middle of a long drive³, a power nap can give you just the boost you need to get through the rest of the day. This article looks at the benefits of a brief sleep during the day and gives you tips on how to power nap like a pro.

Napping Benefits

If you experience excessive, frequent daytime tiredness⁴, you should consult with your physician; there may be an underlying cause, such as a sleep disorder⁵. However, if you've been burning the candle at both ends or feel drowsy from time to time, a power nap can have many benefits. These include:

• Memory boost
• Brain health⁶
• Better mood
• Stress⁷ and anxiety relief
• Relaxation
• Enhanced mental and physical performance⁸
• Increased alertness
• Lower blood pressure⁹
• Fewer food cravings¹⁰
• Headache relief¹¹
• More creativity
• Better heart health¹²
• Immune system support¹³

Controlled naps can also help people sleep better at night¹⁴, especially older individuals. Moreover, taking a short afternoon snooze rather than reaching for caffeine can also boost healthy nighttime sleep.

Best Time for a Nap

The circadian rhythm¹⁵, or the body's internal clock, typically causes an energy slump¹⁶ in the early- to mid-afternoon. For most people, tiredness typically hits between noon and 4 p.m. Timing afternoon naps to coincide with this natural dip helps you gain the most from short rests.

Ideal Nap Duration

Studies¹⁷ indicate that very brief naps of up to five minutes have little effect, but slightly increasing the duration to even just ten minutes can yield positive results. The benefits of such a short rest can last for up to three hours¹⁸.

However, many bodies of research, including from NASA¹⁹ and the CDC²⁰, suggest that the optimum nap time is between 20 and 30 minutes. Any longer and the body enters a deeper sleep, which can be difficult to wake from. Also, waking up from deep sleep often leads to sleep inertia²¹, which can cause lingering grogginess and make people feel more tired. That said, there's a possibility of such an issue after any length of sleep. Experts note the importance of allowing a post-nap recovery time, particularly if operating dangerous equipment, to overcome the potential impacts of sleep inertia.

Sometimes, people need longer periods of daytime sleep. Also, the reason for napping can influence the duration. For example, a study found that a nap between 45 minutes and an hour boosted students' memory performance²².

For those experiencing excessive daytime tiredness who want to sleep for longer than the recommended 20–30 minutes, completing a full sleep cycle²³ is advisable. Because these cycles typically last for between 80 and 100 minutes, a 90-minute sleep can help to avoid grogginess afterward.

Follow these tips for restorative naps in the daytime and always seek medical advice if you experience prolonged periods of unexplainable sleepiness during waking hours.

References

1. National Library of Medicine – The Amygdala, Sleep Debt, Sleep Deprivation, and the Emotion of Anger: A Possible Connection?
2. Health and Safety Executive – Human factors: Fatigue
3. SoClean – Unraveling the Dangers of Drowsy Driving and the Crucial Role of Quality Sleep
4. VeryWellMind – 13 Reasons Why You're Tired All the Time
5. SoClean – Confronting Sleep Disorders: Identifying Signs and Pursuing Effective Treatment
6. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society – Afternoon Napping and Cognition in Chinese Older Adults: Findings from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study Baseline Assessment
7. National Library of Medicine – A brief nap during an acute stressor improves negative affect
8. National Library of Medicine – The Impact of Daytime Napping Following Normal Night-Time Sleep on Physical Performance: A Systematic Review, Meta-analysis and Meta-regression
9. American College of Cardiology – A Nap a Day Keeps High Blood Pressure at Bay
10. Metabolic Research Center – Power Naps Can Help Control Midday Food Cravings
11. The Migraine Trust – Does sleeping help migraine?
12. National Library of Medicine – Napping: A public health issue. From epidemiological to laboratory studies
13. ScienceDaily – Napping reverses health effects of poor sleep, study finds
14. WebMD – Health Benefits of Napping
15. Cleveland Clinic – Circadian Rhythm
16. SoClean – Combat the Afternoon Energy Crash This Summer
17. National Library of Medicine – Influence of mid-afternoon nap duration and sleep parameters on memory encoding, mood, processing speed, and vigilance
18. ResearchGate – The Science and Timing of Power Naps: Investigating the Cognitive and Physical Benefits of Brief Daytime Sleep
19. NASA Ames Research Center – The benefits of napping for safety & How quickly can the brain wake-up from sleep?
20. CDC The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health – NIOSH Training for Nurses on Shift Work and Long Work Hours
21. Healthline – How to Deal with Sleep Inertia, That Groggy Feeling When You Wake Up
22. ScienceDaily – Neuropsychology: Power naps produce a significant improvement in memory performance
23. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute – Sleep Phases and Stages