Nap Timer
Naps are not all the same. The right length depends on what you want from it — alertness, recovery, or memory. Pick your goal; we'll tell you the length.
Power nap
Best for: When you have a meeting in 30 minutes and need sharpness without grogginess. Stays in light sleep — wake-up is instant.
Avoid: Too short to consolidate skills or memory.
Standard nap
Best for: The "NASA nap." Boosts performance for 2–3 hours afterwards without significant grogginess.
Avoid: Don't go past 25 minutes or you'll start entering deep sleep and wake up groggy (sleep inertia).
Caffeine nap
Best for: Drink an espresso, then nap 20 minutes. Caffeine kicks in just as you wake. The most effective fatigue intervention in a single behaviour.
Avoid: Not after 2pm if you want to sleep at night — the caffeine half-life will haunt you.
Long nap
Best for: A full sleep cycle. Best when seriously sleep-deprived, learning a new skill, or recovering from intense exertion. Memory and creative problem-solving improve.
Avoid: Will likely shift your night sleep later. Don't nap this long after 3pm if you want a normal bedtime.
The 30–60 minute trap
Avoid naps in the 30-to-60-minute range. They're long enough to drop you into slow-wave (deep) sleep but too short to complete a full cycle — so you wake up in the middle of deep sleep and feel worse than before. This is sleep inertia. The fix is either shorter (≤20 min) or longer (≥75 min).