How Long Should You Nap?

by Patrick Appel

How long you got?:

The 5-minute nap produced few bene?ts in comparison with the no-nap control. The 10-minute nap produced immediate improvements in all outcome measures (including sleep latency, subjective sleepiness, fatigue, vigor, and cognitive performance), with some of these bene?ts maintained for as long as 155 minutes. The 20- minute nap was associated with improvements emerging 35 minutes after napping and lasting up to 125 minutes after napping. The 30-minute nap produced a period of impaired alertness and performance immediately after napping, indicative of sleep inertia, followed by improvements lasting up to 155 minutes after the nap.

Science Fair bolsters the case for midday naps. The Atlantic's Ellie Smith advocated for naps at work awhile back.