In the moment
A nap done properly
Twenty minutes, before 3pm, alarm set, nothing longer
20 min
How to do it
If you nap, keep it to twenty minutes, set an alarm, and take it before three in the afternoon. Longer or later and it starts eating into tonight's sleep instead of topping up today's.
What the evidence says
Sleep research is consistent that naps longer than about twenty to thirty minutes, or taken later in the day, push you into deeper sleep stages and reduce the drive to sleep at night. A short, earlier nap avoids both problems and is the version most sleep guidance actually recommends.
