Nap

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Napping, as it relates to sleep, is a short sleep period outside of the person's usual sleep duration. For example, a person that normally sleeps at night between 10 PM to 6 AM, can take a nap in the afternoon like between 2:00 PM to 2:30 PM. If the nap happens right after having lunch, it is sometimes called siesta. as is customary in many Spanish countries such as Spain.

Cat taking a nap

Benefits[edit | edit source]

Strong scientific evidence shows that our brains benefit from a brief period of actual sleep (a nap), not just a quiet period, to recover from fatigue and to help restore alertness.

Short and long naps[edit | edit source]

Short naps are naps between 15-30 minutes and long naps are those that are 1.5 hours or more. The naps that in between are called regular naps.

Benefits[edit | edit source]

Napping was found to be both physiologically and psychologically beneficial. Strong scientific evidence shows that our brains benefit from a brief period of actual sleep (a nap), not just a quiet period, to recover from fatigue and to help restore alertness.

Both short (15-30 minute) and long (1.5-hour) naps can increase alertness.

Hammock napping on a patio, in Costa Rica

During the daytime, a brief nap is recommended.

Set an alarm for 15 to 30 minutes to wake up
Lay down on a bed or a cot if available
Put on an eye mask and ear plugs
Long naps can be useful during emergency response when people have to work very long hours.

Power nap[edit | edit source]

A power nap, also known as a Stage 2 nap, is a short slumber of 20 minutes or less which terminates before the occurrence of deep slow-wave sleep (SWS), intended to quickly revitalize the napper.

Caffeine nap[edit | edit source]

A caffeine nap is a short nap that is preceded by the intake of caffeine. In a driving simulator and a series of studies, Horne and Reyner investigated the effects of cold air, radio, a break with no nap, a nap, caffeine pill vs. placebo and a short nap preceded by caffeine on mildly sleep-deprived subjects. The caffeine nap was by far the most effective in reducing driving "incidents" and subjective sleepiness. Caffeine in coffee takes up to a half-hour to have an alerting effect, hence "a short (<15min) nap will not be compromised if it is taken immediately after the coffee.