- Some of the most well‑known companies and organisations have realised that a power nap during work hours can help increase employee productivity.
- Research by NASA scientists even found that just a short nap increased the performance of their pilots by 34% and improved alertness by up to 54%.
- In addition, power naps offer a wide range of health benefits, such as stress relief.
A power nap is a short period of sleep from which you deliberately wake up before reaching the REM stage. But how exactly do you proceed? When is the ideal time, and how long should you plan your nap for?
This article will introduce the power nap, explain why you should incorporate it, outline its undeniable benefits, and debunk some common myths.
How does it actually work?
Why do some naps leave you feeling refreshed and motivated, while others make you feel even more tired? It’s actually quite simple. Sleep happens in cycles. First, there are phases called NREM (non‑rapid eye movement sleep), during which you’re not in deep sleep, but intense muscle relaxation takes place. Then comes REM sleep (rapid eye movement), characterised by "dream cycles."
This cycle repeats and lasts approximately 90 minutes. REM sleep is essential for overall health and well‑being, as your body works to restore energy, increase blood flow to your muscles, and promote tissue and bone growth and repair. However, this is exactly the phase you want to avoid during a power nap. Entering REM can leave you feeling groggy and disoriented afterwards. That’s why the key is to wake up during NREM—ideally about 20‑30 minutes after falling asleep.
Why incorporate power naps?
The average adult should get 6‑8 hours of sleep per day of sleep per night. Power naps should in no way replace this—quite the opposite. If you suffer from insomnia, daytime naps can make it seem like you need less sleep at night, potentially worsening your condition. However, if this doesn’t apply to you and you’d like to try power napping, timing is everything.
A widely cited 1995 NASA study found that a 26‑minute nap was just right, increasing both alertness and performance by 25‑50%, compared to traditional, longer naps. Experts support this finding: 20 to 30 minutes is enough to gain the benefits listed below without triggering unnecessary grogginess.
Several other factors can affect the quality of your power nap. It’s easier to fall asleep in a dark, cool, and quiet room—ideally with alerts on your phone or computer switched off. If you have flexibility in your schedule, the window between 1pm and 3pm is ideal: your body temperature naturally dips and there is an increase in the sleep hormone melatonin, which is the perfect combination for an effective power nap.
At first glance, caffeine might seem like a surprising factor. But because this alkaloid takes around 30 minutes to take effect, drinking a coffee just before your nap may actually help you wake up with an extra energy boost. That said, we recommend experimenting with the so‑called "coffee nap" only after you’ve adjusted to regular power naps—and based on how caffeine personally affects you.
Tip: if you don't have a phone or other alarm clock, you can try the key trick. Hold a set of keys loosely in your hand while napping, ideally above the floor. If you slip into a deeper sleep, your hand will naturally relax, causing the keys to fall and wake you. Depending on your level of fatigue, this typically happens within 10–30 minutes. However, for a guaranteed wake‑up, we still suggest using a traditional or mobile alarm clock.
Benefits vs. myths
There are many health benefits associated with regular naps, including improved memory, cognitive function, reduced stress levels and increased creativity. Research also shows that power naps can be beneficial for heart health—healthy adults who took 1–2 naps per week over an eight‑year period had a lower risk of heart disease and stroke compared to the control group.
However, it's worth noting that regular, especially daily, naps lasting beyond the recommended 20–30 minutes may have negative effects in the long run. Research analysed by the American Heart Association shows that individuals who regularly napped for an hour or more each day had a 1.82 times higher incidence of cardiovascular disease. This suggests a significant non‑linear (J‑curve) relationship between nap duration and cardiovascular risk: naps of up to 30 minutes were associated with decreased risk, but around the 45‑minute mark, the risk began to rise slightly, then sharply increased with longer durations.
That said, it's possible this reflects correlation rather than direct causation. Those who napped longer may have had underlying health conditions that increased their need for rest.
So, the occasional power nap shouldn’t be a problem, especially if it makes you feel better and doesn’t interfere with your nightly sleep routine.
Don't forget the importance of a good night's sleep
The involuntary lack of restful night sleep is a common issue, especially for people with irregular work schedules, such as doctors or shift workers. In these cases, power naps can be a helpful way to reduce sleep "debt" and reclaim some of the rest the body ideally needs. However, if naps are used as a constant band‑aid solution, for example, by those with chronic insomnia or issues with sleep quality, duration, or continuity, they can quickly become counterproductive. Fatigue will likely persist, along with declines in mood, immune function, and optimal brain and mental performance.
In addition, chronically sleep‑deprived people (sleep deprivation for 2 weeks or more) have been shown to impair brain function to a degree comparable to going without sleep for three full days. Individuals in this state are also at greater risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, obesity, and depression.
- Learn more: 9 Tips on How to Improve Sleep Quality
Power nap vs. meditation?
These two seemingly different activities have several overlapping effects and benefits. While meditators remain awake and power nappers fall asleep, both can enjoy improvements in mood and mental clarity, along with reduced blood pressure, stress, and anxiety.
That said, meditation can offer additional benefits, such as a more sustained improvement in overall mood and increased melatonin production, which can support a deeper, more restful night’s sleep and potentially eliminate the need for daytime NREM rest. It may also relieve pain, such as from migraines. The most effective solution is a combination of both: occasional power naps and regular meditation, through which you can expect improvements in many physiological and psychological areas.
Bottom line
Overall, a 20‑30 minute power nap is an effective way to increase energy, attention, mindfulness and mental clarity. However, this should in no way replace the recommended amount of sleep, ideally 7 hours or more. Therefore, use a power nap occasionally rather than daily. In addition, by combining it with meditation, you can expect improvements in many physiological and psychological areas of your life, such as an overall improvement in your mood or a reduction in blood pressure.
