Most adults are able to get through the entire day without napping, and it’s always been that way. At the same time there is a significant portion of the population who can’t fathom missing their afternoon siesta. So who’s right? Should adults be napping every day or should they adopt a stiff upper lip and just power through to bedtime?

Turns out you can make equally valid arguments for both, so which approach applies to you will be based entirely on your individual needs. Below, we’re going to take a close look at the subject of napping and present some napping tips for adults that should help them get the most from the naps they take. But before we dive into our discussion about naps, we need to ask one fundamental question…

Why Do We Sleep?

If you can come up with an iron-clad, verifiable answer to this question you’ll probably win the Nobel Prize. Because the uncomfortable truth most researchers are reluctant to admit is that they don’t really know why we sleep. There are plenty of theories, along with a growing body of clinical research that is pointing in some intriguing directions. But as of this writing, the only honest answer is: we don’t know.

Considering that most humans spend 1/3 of their lives asleep that’s quite an admission, but it’s true. And the fact that we are vulnerable when we’re sleeping suggests that whatever the benefit, it must be pretty important if we’re willing to expose ourselves to the risks associated with shutting down for hours at a time each day.

The Body Theory

There are two main schools of thought when it comes to why we sleep. The first has to do with muscle recovery and growth (1). Bodybuilders, for instance, typically need more sleep than others because their muscles need the down time to repair the damage the bodybuilder caused by pushing his or herself so hard in the gym. It’s been shown that without this extra sleep time (and proper nutrition) their muscle building efforts simply won’t be very successful.

The Mind Theory

The second school of thought, and the one that is gaining the most ground in recent years, is that sleep is primarily a way for our brains to expel toxins, repair neural networks and organize information. As such, when you wake from a restful night’s sleep your brain is ready to process another day’s worth of information. This theory isn’t claiming that sleep doesn’t provide physical benefits, it obviously does, only that the primary purpose of sleep has to do with cognitive maintenance.

What Does This Have to do With Naps?

The fact that a person does not get adequate sleep at night does not negate the needs of both brain and body. What happens instead is that the person will not have the physical stamina they otherwise would, and they will find their concentration and mental acuity waning during the afternoon hours. At such times a nap may be just what the doctor ordered.

Many people, however, simply ignore the symptoms of sleep deprivation and push through anyway. Others lean on stimulants like coffee to pick up the slack. But while that may work in the short term the long term effects of not getting enough sleep can be devastating and include mood disorders, memory loss, increased stress, reduced immune response, increased risk of accident or injury, hypertension, heart disease, diabetes and more.

When you take all that into consideration napping seems like a pretty good idea. So, let’s take a look at napping – the pros and cons, the different types of naps, who should be napping etc – and provide some tips adults can use to experience more productive naps.

Pros and Cons of Napping for Adults

Like most things in life there is an upside and a downside to napping. Here are some of the pros and cons according to researchers.

Napping Pros

You’ll make fewer mistakes – When people get tired their brains do not function at optimal efficiency. This can reduce reaction times, prevent us from thinking clearly and increase the odds that we will wind up making a mistake, or have some kind of accident. Years ago NASA conducted research on test pilots and found that napping improved their overall performance by more than 1/3 and their alertness by more than 50% (2). It doesn’t take a neuroscientist to realize that those kinds of improvements will make for fewer mistakes and accidents.

You’ll have more energy – When they run low on energy during the day a lot of people just fire up the coffee maker. But if you are experiencing mid-day fatigue you’re actually better off taking a nap (if possible) to regain your energy than tossing back a cup of coffee or two. Yes, the coffee will provide you with a certain type of agitated energy, but it won’t restore mental sharpness the way a nap can. And eventually the coffee will wear off, leaving you low on energy once again. Whereas if you nap your energy levels should stay relatively high the rest of the day.

Your memory will improve – The more we know about sleep the more it seems to be associated with brain function and health. That includes memory. No one is quite sure of the mechanism involved but the evidence is clear that getting enough sleep at night improves short term memory. Studies also indicate that napping can have the same beneficial effect on memory, even for older adults (3).

Napping may be good for your blood pressure – A study conducted in 2019 determined that taking a nap can be as effective at lowering blood pressure as some medications are (4). In fact, the drop in blood pressure is significant enough to reduce the risk of heart attack by as much as 10%. While there are no guarantees the conclusions drawn from the study suggest napping may have an important role to play in future high blood pressure treatment regimens.

Your mood should improve – It is thought that a lack of sleep has a negative effect on the function of the amygdala (5). The amygdala is a tiny section of your brain that plays a big role in regulating emotions. There is also evidence to suggest it plays a part in the development of anxiety disorders, although its exact role isn’t clear. The bottom line, however, is that when you take a nap it allows the amygdala to recharge and you wake up with more control over your feelings.

Napping Cons

Napping could interfere with regular sleep patterns – If you are groggy and need to take a nap you should go ahead and take a nap if you are able. At the same time, you probably shouldn’t nap if you don’t feel that you need to because it might interfere with your regular sleep cycle. If you do need to nap you should try and limit the length of the nap and don’t nap too late in the afternoon or evening.

Napping too long could be counterproductive – One of the secrets to a successful nap seems to be not napping for too long. When adults nap for more than an hour they tend to sink into a very deep state of sleep called short-wave sleep or SWS (6). This is the deepest type of sleep and the hardest to wake up from. As such, when the alarm rings people in SWS sleep often find it hard to rise and even harder to shine. In order to avoid this groggy state when you wake up it’s suggested you limit the length of your nap to 30 minutes or so.

What is the Best Time to Nap?

If we take it as a given that many adults can benefit from napping then one of the first things to consider is what constitutes the best time to nap? Is there an ideal time that applies to most people or does it come down to age, health status and other such factors?

According to the good folks at sleep.org the best time for most people to nap is between 2 and 3pm. By that time it is assumed you have already eaten lunch and you are starting to head into the mid-afternoon dip that affects so many. (There is also some evidence that the human body is programmed by a million years or so of evolution to shut down in the mid-afternoon, and who are we to argue with evolution?)

Scheduling your nap for mid-afternoon also ensures it won’t interfere with your normal sleep cycle; a potential problem we alluded to briefly above. You should never wake up from a nap less than 3 hours before you plan on going to bed for the night. So if you normally turn in at 11pm, any evening nap should end by 8. But really, the best approach is to stick to the mid-afternoon nap, get your second wind and ensure you can get to sleep well and truly at your normal time.

Another way to schedule your nap is to base it on when you typically wake up. Using this method you would schedule your nap to start 7 hours after waking up. So if you rise at 7am then schedule your nap for 2pm. And if you’re a late riser who gets up at 9am then schedule your nap for 4pm. But again, try to keep it to around half an hour.

To get the most from your nap whenever you take it, make sure to create an environment that is conducive to rest. That typically means a quiet, dark place that is comfortably cool (7). When you do wake up give yourself a few minutes before you return to physically or mentally demanding work.

If You Never Took Naps Before Should You Start Now?

Not everyone takes naps. In fact, it’s estimated that fully 2/3 of all American adults don’t nap during the day (8) and never have. Some non-nappers, however, reach a point where they start thinking that incorporating a nap into their daily routine might be a good idea. But is it? Are there any objective criteria you can use to determine if napping might be good for you?

Unfortunately, there is no template you can plug yourself into that will determine for sure whether you’re a candidate for napping. The fact that 1/3 of American adults nap regularly and the other 2/3 never do is a pretty good indication that it’s something that needs to be decided on an individual basis. That said, you might want to consider trying the afternoon nap on for size if…

• You are regularly experiencing fatigue in the afternoons – Daily fatigue is a pretty good sign that a nap might do you well. Just keep it short.
• You have begun working longer hours – People who take on 2nd jobs, or more responsibilities at work that keep them busy longer, often benefit from incorporating a nap into their day.
• You have taken on a job driving – Driving safely requires that you be attentive at all times. Taking a nap during the day can refresh your senses and ensure you (and those you are entrusted to drive) make it safely through the day.

Does the Need to Nap Indicate Underlying Problems?

Not necessarily, especially if you have felt the need for a nap coming on for some time and just ignored it until now. On the other hand, a sudden need to nap every day could indicate something is amiss, although it might not be anything terribly serious. For instance, it could be a side effect of a medication you’re taking. Also, if you have recently started resistance training, your body is going to crave more sleep in order to repair damaged muscles. That need is not going to just go away, and it may manifest itself as an urge to nap during the day. Still, if you have any questions or concerns you should speak to your doctor.

Should I Power Nap?

The power nap seems like one of those trendy, health-related items that pop up on the internet from time to time just to generate clicks, before making way for the next trendy item. But it’s not. It’s just a rebranding of something people have been doing since the dawn of time: the short nap. But, because most people today are familiar with the term “power nap” we’ll go with that.

A power nap typically lasts 15-30 minutes and is a good way to recharge your batteries. The trick is not to let it stretch into something longer, because you want to wake up before you enter deep sleep (the “short-wave sleep” we mentioned above). A power nap can very definitely give you the boost you need to make it through the rest of the day. The only way to know if it will work for you is to try it.

Are Longer Naps Always Bad?

It might seem like we have been coming down hard on long naps but that’s not the case. While short naps are usually easier to wake up from and less likely to disrupt your regular sleep patterns, longer naps of an hour, or even more, have their place as well. The benefits of the long nap include enhanced memory (particularly for younger adults) and more lucid creative thinking.

There is some debate over whether taking long naps on a daily basis is good or bad for you. Some even suggest that long naps may somehow lead to diabetes (9) though the evidence for this is inconclusive at best. The fact is, sleeping for 60 or 90 minutes, or even more, will subject you to the whole sleep cycle and that can be very good when it comes to improving your mood and awakening the creative center of your brain. The biggest drawback to the 1-2 hour nap is that it takes 1-2 hours, and who has that kind of time to dedicate to napping every day?

For that reason the power nap is usually your best bet for catching up on your Zs. It will act to recharge your batteries and provide the mental and physical boost you need to be as effective in the 2nd half of the day as you were in the 1st half.

Are There Any Times You Shouldn’t Nap?

When you nap is important, but it’s also important to know when not to nap. Napping in a random or haphazard way can mess up your sleep schedule and have a negative effect on job performance. Here are several instances when you should resist the urge to nap.

In the evening – If you have made it all the way to sunset without a nap you should resist the urge to give into one in the evening. Taking a nap, even a short nap, in the evening is a recipe for restlessness later on when you turn in for the night. There are exceptions of course. Such as drivers that collect most of their fares late in the day and need to stay sharp. For them, a short evening nap may be warranted.

When you are jet-lagged – Crossing multiple time zones can create jet lag (10), and jet lag can hit you like a ton of bricks, especially when your normal bedtime rolls around and the sun is still up in your new location. But if you want to adjust to the new time zone faster, avoid the urge to take a nap and instead do something to engage your mind and body.

If you are trying to get over insomnia – Insomnia can be difficult to deal with. People with insomnia feel listless and irritable and are not as mentally sharp as they otherwise would be if they got enough sleep. It can be tempting to give in and nap in order to alleviate some of the side effects of insomnia, but in most cases, you’ll be doing yourself more harm than good. By napping during the day you may undermine your ability to restore your normal sleep pattern.

Right before a big test, job interview or presentation – Some people think that a power nap right before an important event will help them be at their best. The thing is, you don’t go from being asleep to being 100% “on” just like that. There is an adjustment period where body and mind are shaking off the effects of sleep. Those effects are collectively referred to as “sleep inertia” (11). You shouldn’t rush into any important events during that time because you’re not going to be particularly sharp.

If you just woke up – Some people are overwhelmed by a desire to go right back to sleep after waking up. Rather than giving in to this impulse they should schedule a visit with their doctor instead. This may be a simple matter of not sleeping enough, or it may be a symptom of sleep apnea (12). Sleep apnea is a serious condition caused by obstruction of the airways while you sleep and can prevent you from obtaining the kind of deep, restful sleep you need.

Conclusion

As we have seen, napping can produce numerous benefits for adults as long as it’s done in the right way. But let’s not forget that people often need naps because they’re short changing themselves at night. So before you decide to incorporate napping into your daily routine perhaps you should first try to get more from your normal sleep time. You can do that by…

• Going to sleep and waking up at the same time every day.
• Avoiding caffeine late in the day.
• Not exercising within 90 minutes of going to sleep.
• Keeping your bedroom atmosphere conducive to sleep.
• Avoid bringing your smartphone to bed with you.

If you make these good sleep habits part of your life and you still feel the need to nap, so be it. Just make sure to use the above tips so that your nap time is productive, rather than disruptive.