Types of Naps & Their Benefits

A coffee nap is 20 minutes long². It’s a unique form of power napping that is meant to optimize the effects of caffeine. To take a coffee nap, you drink a cup of coffee and then immediately sleep for 20 minutes.

Adenosine³ is a neurotransmitter that binds to receptors in the brain, signaling tiredness, and the caffeine in beverages like coffee binds to these same receptors, working to mask those tiredness signals. However, when you’re awake, caffeine and adenosine are competing against one another, whereas napping makes it easier for caffeine to bind to more receptors. While it may seem counterintuitive to sleep immediately after consuming coffee, caffeine doesn’t take effect until after about 15 minutes⁴, so by the time you wake up, you should feel refreshed and alert.

Learn more: How to Take a Coffee Nap

A prophylactic nap⁵ is 2-3 hours long. As these naps are longer, they give the brain time to move into deeper sleep stages. Prophylactic naps are taken right before a shift to help those who work overnight remain alert.

Research has shown that these naps can be significantly beneficial, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) citing multiple studies on how they increased alertness in night shift workers. For example, one study on nurses and nurse aides found that those who took a 1.5-hour prophylactic nap before work reported more alertness in the latter half of their shift than those who didn’t nap⁵.

An appetitive nap doesn’t have a designated amount of time, though experts⁶ say 20 minutes at midday has been found to be an ideal duration. This type of nap is described as something people may do simply because it feels good. As with other nap types, appetitive naps⁷ can improve your mood, reaction times, and cognitive performance.

There is no specific amount of time for a fulfillment nap. Rather, it is described as something young children⁸ take because of a greater need for sleep during their developmental years. Fulfillment naps are typically part of a child’s daily routine, and the amount of time sleeping will depend on the schedule that the parent or guardian sets.

An essential nap also doesn’t have a specific time frame, but it is a form of rest people will take when they have an illness or inflammation⁸. Essential naps serve as a way to help the body’s immune system fight off disease or infection. This makes sense considering sleep is a vital component of the immune system.

Conversely, getting too little sleep can increase your chances⁹ of developing an infection.

Naps and sleep cycles are connected because the ideal nap time is one that ends at the right time in a sleep cycle. Sleep cycles consist of four sleep stages divided into two phases, Non-Rapid Eye Movement (NREM) and Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep. We typically go through multiple cycles when we sleep, but with naps, we may complete just one cycle or not even one.

It’s important to schedule naps around sleep cycles to avoid waking up in a sleep stage that could cause grogginess. A well-planned nap is one in which you wake up in a lighter sleep to feel the most refreshed.

Stage 1: Stage 1 of a sleep cycle¹⁰ is part of Non-Rapid Eye Movement (NREM) sleep. This is the lightest stage of sleep, and as such, it is easier to wake up during this period. According to experts, this stage lasts anywhere from five to 10 minutes.

Stage 2: Stage 2 is also part of NREM sleep. Like Stage 1, this is a light sleep, though the body continues to relax further to eventually transition to a deep sleep11. This second stage¹¹ can last between 30 and 60 minutes.

Stage 3: Stage 3 is deep sleep and the final stage of the NREM sleep phase. When you enter deep sleep, it’s harder to wake up, and if you do, you’re likely to feel groggy or disoriented. Deep sleep lasts 20 to 40 minutes¹¹.

Rapid Eye Movement (REM): REM sleep is the fourth and final stage in a sleep cycle, typically lasting 10 minutes at first and then gradually getting longer the more sleep cycles you go through. Typically, people enter REM sleep about 90 minutes after going to sleep¹¹. According to sleep experts, waking up in REM sleep can cause sleep inertia¹², which is when you feel groggy and not fully awakened, making it harder to perform daily tasks.

Learn More: What are the 4 Stages of Sleep?

The nap type that’s the most beneficial will depend on the needs of the sleeper, and as covered above, each nap type varies based on its purpose. Ultimately, a successful nap will be an appropriate amount of time to allow the individual to wake up feeling refreshed and won’t impact their nighttime sleep.

While the benefits of napping include better cognitive, physical, and emotional capabilities, they can also have negative side effects¹³, including sleep inertia and difficulty sleeping at night. The good news, though, is that scheduling your naps well, including when and how long they are, can help reduce your chances of experiencing these side effects.

Yes, research has shown that naps can increase alertness¹⁴. According to the CDC, naps between 15 and 30 minutes as well as 90-minute naps have been linked to increased alertness. Earlier we mentioned the sleep cycles, how they are connected to napping, and that waking up in a light sleep is ideal for avoiding grogginess.

These amounts of time coincide with this since the 15-30-minute window would allow someone to still be in a light sleep, and the 90-minute duration means the person is about to complete a sleep cycle and re-enter light sleep.

Yes, taking a post-workout nap could be good. In general, sleep is a time when the muscles repair and recover. During exercise, you’ve exerted a lot of energy and put a strain on tissues and muscles, and so, catching up on sleep could help with recovery. In fact, research¹⁵ has shown a potential link between sleep and preventing or alleviating muscle injuries caused by exercise.

Learn More: Pros and Cons of Sleeping After Workout

College students may find that their need for sleep increases as they have long days and all-night study sessions. A 20-minute snooze may provide temporary relief, but if the student is studying for an exam or working on a demanding project, then a longer 90-minute nap¹⁶ may be needed.

Additionally, when college students nap is equally important. Experts say the ideal nap period is between 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m¹⁶. Conversely, napping evening the evening could have a negative effect, with research finding that students who napped between 6:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.¹⁷ slept for less time overnight than those who napped earlier in the day.