Medically reviewed by: Jared Meacham, PhD, RD, CSCS and Patricia Weiser, PharmD

Adults need a nap sometimes, just like kids do. But there is a right and wrong way to do it. Timing and length matter a lot when it comes to getting all you need from a nap. Here are the best tips for taking a power nap that helps you wake up refreshed and ready to go without jeopardizing your sleep at night.

Babies and toddlers are praised for taking naps, but when grown-ups do the same, it’s often frowned upon. The siesta or afternoon rest time is an integral part of some cultures, but in others, it’s viewed as lazy or wasting time. Despite the cultural implications, the science is clear: naps can be restorative. They're actually beneficial for boosting energy, attention, memory, and performance (hence the term “power nap”), as long as you pay attention to their length and timing.

A power nap isn’t meant to be a random midday snooze. It’s an intentional short nap to increase energy and improve focus.

“The ‘power nap’ concept started with the idea of improving cognitive performance by putting your head down for a short period of time, usually 10 to 30 minutes,” says Hamid Djalilian, M.D., professor of otolaryngology, neurosurgery, and biomedical engineering at the University of California, Irvine, and chief medical officer at NeuroMed.

He says, “It’s a ‘power nap’ because it sharpens alertness, regulates mood, and boosts cognitive performance. The key to power-napping is to keep it short enough to avoid sleep inertia — the post-nap grogginess that follows waking from the slow-wave sleep that happens when you sleep beyond 30 minutes.”

Here’s everything you need to know about ideal nap length and time of day so you wake up feeling great, not groggy. You’ll also learn how to personalize your nap routine, plus ways BetterSleep can help.

Best Nap Length

The length of a nap makes a difference. A nap that’s too short might not make you feel very refreshed. One that’s too long, however, can make you feel dazed and drowsy upon waking — and potentially mess with your nighttime sleep.

Sleep occurs in five stages: awakeness, followed by three progressively deeper stages of non-REM sleep (called stages N1, N2, and N3), followed by REM sleep. Then a new cycle starts and repeats the stages. Each cycle lasts about 90 to 110 minutes. So how long should a nap be?

“The optimal timing and length of a nap is governed by the fact that the sleeping brain cycles through different stages,” Djalilian says. “Short naps keep you in the lightest stages of sleep, giving clean, fast benefits. However, once a nap hits 30 minutes or more, your brain can tip into a deeper stage of sleep. This can also be refreshing, but it comes at the cost of the post-nap brain fog of sleep inertia. Further, too long, too late, or too frequent, and naps can cause insomnia-like sleep induction issues.”

Djalilian explains what you can expect from naps of different lengths:

• 10–20 minutes: This is the classic short-and-sweet power nap. “This keeps your brain in Stage 1 and early Stage 2 sleep,” Djalilian says. “This is ideal for shaking off fatigue while still allowing you to wake up quickly and clearly.”
• 30 minutes: Now you’re tiptoeing into the grogginess zone. “Here you are walking the line between Stage 2 and Stage 3 (slow-wave) sleep,” he says. “You might get some additional benefits, but risk the grogginess of sleep inertia for up to an hour after the nap.”
• 60 minutes: We’re officially in too-long territory. “With an hour-long nap, you almost always will enter slow-wave sleep,” Djalilian says. “While this supports things like memory consolidation and physical recovery, it will certainly involve post-nap grogginess and may cause nighttime insomnia.”
• 90 minutes: This is a full sleep cycle. “There is evidence that you get some cognitive benefits,” he says. “If you are lucky and wake up at the end of the cycle naturally, you may avoid grogginess.” However, he adds, these longer naps will almost certainly make it harder for you to fall asleep at night and could cause insomnia and circadian-rhythm disruption.

Want to make sure you actually get in a good nap but don’t sleep too long? Set a timer, and choose a gentle soundscape in the BetterSleep app to help you drift off.

Ideal Nap Timing

Choosing the best time to nap matters, too. A nap isn’t really good for you if it ends up disrupting your actual nighttime sleep. Sleeping too close to bedtime can mess up your natural circadian rhythm — when your body tells you it’s time for night-night.

In older adults, excessive morning napping has been associated with neurodegenerative disease, like Alzheimer’s. But naps in the early afternoon of consistent lengths were linked to lower levels of Alzheimer’s.

Here are the ideal times to nap during the day to protect your sleep:

• Target the early-afternoon dip: Lots of us hit a post-lunch lull, between about 2 and 4 p.m. That's because our internal body clock is beginning to tick toward sleep and our sleep drive (or need to sleep) is starting to build up.
• Avoid napping within six to eight hours of bedtime: Napping too close to bedtime makes your sleep drive dwindle. This is especially important if you struggle with insomnia. “As a rule of thumb, you want at least six hours between when you wake up from your nap and when you go to sleep for the night,” Djalilian says.

The Sleep Recorder in the BetterSleep app can help you learn more about your sleep patterns.

How to Nap Without Grogginess: Your Sleep Inertia Playbook

Sleep inertia is how long it takes you to feel awake after you actually are awake. It’s sometimes referred to as a “nap hangover.” You know the feeling: drowsy, groggy, and sluggish. Here’s how to avoid it:

• Set a timer: Before you close your eyes, set it to just 15–20 minutes for power naps.
• Nap in a cool, dark, quiet space: Add gentle pink or white noise to drown out sounds from inside and outside your home.
• Wake up gently: Try a gradual light or alarm. After you get up, move and make some sensory changes. Turn on the lights, walk around or stretch, drink some cool water, or eat a light snack.

Do Coffee Naps Work?

A “coffee nap” is drinking a little bit of caffeine right before taking a quick nap, with a goal of a double dose of alertness when you wake up. Caffeine can start working after about 15 minutes and gets fully absorbed in 45 minutes. To kick in right after waking up, you’d lie down for a 15- to 20-minute power nap right after downing a small cup of coffee or tea.

Theoretically, coffee naps could boost alertness and energy, but Djalilian isn’t a fan. “I do not recommend this as it is entirely unhealthy for you,” he says. "Coffee naps risk subsequent sleep disruption at night, can trigger stimulant-related anxiety, will reinforce caffeine dependence, and can destabilize the brain’s excitability threshold.”

If you’re pregnant or are very sensitive to caffeine, coffee naps are definitely not for you.

Are Naps Good for You?

The short answer: It depends. Whether a nap is beneficial or potentially harmful depends on how long it is, what time of day you’re taking it, how often or why you need to nap, and what other health issues or sleep disorders might be affecting your sleep drive.

“Naps can reverse some of the cognitive impairment that comes from sleep deprivation,” Djalilian says. “In some contexts, people can soldier through after a poor night's sleep, but when safety-critical jobs or shift work is in the picture, naps can actually reduce errors and accidents. So while naps can help correct a deficit, the goal should be to have no sleep deficit at all. This means getting disciplined about sleep hygiene and doing the things you need to do to prioritize a full-night's sleep.”

Multiple studies have found short naps may offer various benefits:

• more alertness
• better cognitive and physical performance in athletes and physically active adults
• better working memory and psychomotor function in healthy adults
• less sleepiness and fatigue
• lower chance of having high blood pressure (compared to non-nappers)

On the other hand, napping for too long can have adverse health effects. Yes, it can mess up your sleep at night, but naps of more than 30 minutes are also associated with a greater risk of diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular disease.

Power Naps vs. Recovery Naps

“Think of naps as a short-term tool to be used only when you need them,” Djalilian says. They certainly shouldn’t disrupt or take the place of regular quality nighttime sleep.

• Choose a short power nap (10–20 minutes) in the early afternoon if you need a burst of alertness.
• Choose a short to moderate nap (20–30 minutes) as a bridge to bedtime if you’re feeling run down after an illness or travel. To get back on track, prioritize nighttime sleep.
• Choose a longer recovery nap (about 90 minutes) if you’re exhausted and must get more rest after a night of little sleep. You’ll likely complete one full sleep cycle. Use these very sparingly and early in the day to protect your circadian rhythm and sleep drive.

“Getting good sleep is the foundation of brain health, and the need for naps means your sleep is not optimized,” Djalilian says. “If you are serious about keeping your brain healthy, both in the short and long terms, get help. The best place to start is not with sleeping pills, but a sleep coach. They will help you design a plan for better sleep that is natural and sustainable.”

Special Cases: Who Should Be Cautious

A strong urge to snooze during the day can be an indicator of an underlying sleep disorder or a telltale sign of regularly poor or fragmented sleep at night. Napping won’t fix these, but it might feel like the only way you can get through your day. If that sounds like you, talking to a sleep doctor or coach is important.

“If your naps are frequent or irresistible, it can indicate that you are suffering from an underlying sleep disorder, including sleep apnea, insomnia, restless leg syndrome, narcolepsy, or circadian rhythm disorders,” Djalilian says. “If you feel stuck in a nap cycle, it’s worth getting evaluated, starting with a sleep study.”

If you already know you have an existing sleep problem, naps should be as short as possible, as early as possible, and as infrequently as possible. Shift workers should allow enough time in between waking and working to shake off sleep inertia.

The Bottom Line

Short naps—AKA power naps—can have benefits for the body and mood. Longer naps, however, can have adverse effects. Any nap has the potential to mess up nighttime sleep, depending on how long it is and what time of day you take it. If you frequently feel like you need to nap or take very long naps, you may have a sleep disorder. Talk to your physician, a sleep-medicine doctor, or sleep coach for evaluation and guidance.

Key Takeaways

• Power naps are 15 to 20 minutes in length. Longer naps can lead to grogginess or disrupt nighttime sleep.
• Short naps have benefits for brain health, work performance, and cardiovascular health.
• Coffee naps may help you feel more alert, but they can upset night sleep even more—especially if you’re sensitive to caffeine.
• Take naps early in the afternoon, at least six hours before bedtime.
• Try to maximize your naptime by making your bedroom cool, dark, and quiet, and setting a timer so you don’t oversleep.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Is a 2-hour nap a power nap?

No. That’s a really long nap that’s gone through a full sleep cycle and part of a second one.

Does the 8-minute Navy SEAL nap work?

This method hasn’t been studied, but it first became popular after retired SEAL Jocko Willink talked about it on a podcast. He elevates his feet above his heart (like Legs Up a Wall in yoga), sets a timer for eight to 10 minutes, and sleeps.

Is 30 minutes too long for a power nap?

Yes, that’s longer than a power nap. True power naps are 15 to 20 minutes to prevent falling into slow-wave sleep, which typically sets in around 30 minutes into a sleep cycle, Djalilian says.

Is one 1-hour sleep a power nap?

That’s longer than the suggested length for a power nap, but it could be helpful if you’re very sleep-deprived or trying to recover from an illness. Just try to nap as early as possible in the day so as not to disrupt your nighttime sleep.

What is the 30-90 nap rule?

It’s essentially the difference between a longish power nap and a recovery nap. If you need a refresh and brain boost, a 30-minute nap can do that (though you might feel groggy for a bit afterward). If you’re struggling to focus or stay awake because you’ve had too little sleep, a 90-minute recovery nap may help. Both should be done early in the afternoon to minimize the impact on nighttime sleep.