How to Power Nap the Right Way

A power nap should last 10 to 20 minutes, and the best time to take one is in the early afternoon. Keeping it short means you wake from light sleep and feel more alert. Naps longer than about 30 minutes are more likely to leave you drowsy, and napping too late in the day can make it harder to fall asleep at night.

In this guide, we'll explain how long a power nap should be, why longer naps can leave you feeling drowsy, when a 90-minute nap makes more sense, the best time of day to nap, and how to set up a spot where you can drift off quickly.

Key Takeaways

• A power nap is a short, planned nap of about 10 to 30 minutes, with 10 to 20 minutes the sweet spot for most people.

• Naps over 30 minutes often cause sleep inertia, the drowsy, heavy-headed feeling that can take a while to shake off.

• A 90-minute nap covers a full sleep cycle, so it can leave you less drowsy than a 45 or 60-minute nap, but it's no longer a power nap.

• The early afternoon is the best time to nap, as late naps can make it harder to sleep at night.

• A quiet, dim, cool spot and an alarm help you drift off quickly and wake up on time.
  

What Counts as a Power Nap

A power nap is a short, planned nap that helps you feel more alert without leaving you drowsy. There's no official medical definition, but pulmonologist and sleep specialist Dr Samuel Gurevich explains that the term usually refers to naps of about 10 to 30 minutes.

The short length is what makes it work. You wake up during the early, lighter stages of sleep, so you get the benefits of a rest without dropping into deep sleep, which is much harder to wake up from.

Done right, a short afternoon nap can do more than ease tiredness. It can also improve your mood, alertness, reaction time, short-term memory and focus.

How Long a Power Nap Should Last

A power nap should last about 10 to 20 minutes for most people, and no more than 30 minutes. A study comparing naps of 5, 10, 20 and 30 minutes found that the 10-minute nap was the most effective overall, giving an immediate boost in alertness and performance that lasted up to 155 minutes.

Nap length matters because of the way sleep works. We move through light and deep stages of sleep in sleep cycles that last about 90 minutes. Sleep too long and you may wake from deep sleep, which brings on sleep inertia. This is the drowsy, disorientated feeling after waking. It's most noticeable after naps over 30 minutes and usually lasts 15 to 60 minutes.

Each nap length affects you in a different way.

So is a 20-minute nap better than a 30-minute one? For most people, yes. A 20-minute nap gives you a boost without much drowsiness, while a 30-minute nap is more likely to leave you drowsy for a while before the benefits kick in.

The Best Time to Nap

The best time to take a power nap is in the early afternoon. Dr Gurevich advises napping earlier in the day so it doesn't interfere with your sleep at night, and naps taken in the early or mid-afternoon are unlikely to disrupt night-time sleep.

Sleep expert and CBT-I therapist Rachel McGuinness suggests napping between 1pm and 3pm. If that doesn't fit your day, a nap between 5pm and 7pm can still work, as long as it's no later than around 6.30pm. That means a quick doze on the train home is fine.

Timing matters because napping too late reduces your natural drive to sleep at bedtime. If you often struggle to fall asleep at night, keep naps short and early, or skip them altogether.

A nap also can't replace a good night's sleep. If something like insomnia or sleep apnoea is disrupting your sleep, a power nap won't fix it. If you feel tired all the time, it's worth checking in with your GP.

Setting Up a Better Nap Environment

The right setting helps you fall asleep quickly and make the most of a short nap. A cool, quiet, dark place works best, as noise, light and uncomfortable temperatures can affect the quality of your sleep, even during a nap.

A few simple steps help you set the scene.

• Set an alarm for 20 minutes, or 30 at the most, so your nap doesn't turn into a long sleep.

• Put your phone on silent and turn off notifications.

• Keep the room cool, and grab a light blanket in case you get chilly.

• Close the curtains or wear an eye mask to block out light.

• Use earplugs if there's noise you can't avoid.

• Lie down somewhere comfortable, so you can relax quickly.

You don't need a full bedtime setup for a power nap. You're only aiming for light sleep, so a comfortable sofa or a spare bed is often all you need.

When you wake up, open the curtains or step outside for some daylight to help shake off any leftover drowsiness.

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Frequently Asked Questions ( FAQs )

Is a 2 hour nap a power nap?

No, a 2-hour nap isn't a power nap. Power naps last about 10 to 30 minutes, while a 2-hour nap takes you through more than one full sleep cycle. A longer nap of an hour or 90 minutes can help you catch up after a late night, but long naps are more likely to leave you drowsy and can make it harder to sleep at night. If you regularly need long naps, it's worth looking at your night-time sleep or speaking to your GP.

Is a 20 minute power nap okay?

Yes, a 20-minute power nap is a great length for most people. It's long enough to help you feel more alert and focused, but short enough that you're unlikely to wake from deep sleep. The boost may take a little while to kick in, though. In one study, the benefits of a 20-minute nap appeared about 35 minutes after waking.

Is a 7 minute power nap good?

A 7-minute nap is better than nothing, but it may be too short to give you the full benefit. In a study comparing different nap lengths, a 5-minute nap produced few benefits compared with no nap, while a 10-minute nap was the most effective. If you can, aim for at least 10 minutes of sleep.

Is a 30 minute power nap good?

A 30-minute power nap can work, but it sits at the top end of the range. In a study comparing different nap lengths, a 30-minute nap caused a period of drowsiness straight after waking, followed by improvements that lasted up to 155 minutes. If you have something important to do soon after your nap, a 10 to 20-minute nap is the safer choice.