Napping: A Beginner-Friendly Start

Short daytime sleep, and how its length and timing change whether it helps or hinders.

Key takeaways

• Optimal short nap: 10-20 minutes
• Length that commonly causes grogginess: 30-60 minutes
• Most useful single change: Keep naps to 10-20 minutes and set an alarm.
• Commonest mistake: Napping 30 to 60 minutes if you need to function immediately after.
• See a doctor if any of the signs under "When to speak to a doctor" below apply to you.

Why bother

Ten to twenty minutes improves alertness; thirty to sixty leaves you groggy, and late naps discharge the sleep pressure you need that night.

Start here

Start with two. Add the rest once those have stopped taking effort.

• Keep naps to 10-20 minutes and set an alarm
• Nap in the early afternoon rather than late

Then add these

Once the basics are in place, add these.

• Nap before a night shift or a long drive
• Treat a persistent need to nap as something to get checked

The numbers, in one place

Common early mistakes

• Napping 30 to 60 minutes if you need to function immediately after
• Napping late in the day if you struggle to sleep at night
• Driving while fighting sleep; pull over and nap first

Where to go next

• Myths About Napping, Checked Against the Guidance
• Answers to the Common Questions on Napping
• Napping — the reference entry
• The Body Clock: Sorting the Evidence From the Noise
• The Sleep Environment: What Published Guidance Supports

When to speak to a doctor

See a GP if you need to nap daily despite adequate time in bed, if you fall asleep involuntarily, or if you experience sudden muscle weakness with strong emotion, which can indicate narcolepsy. Excessive daytime sleepiness affecting driving must be reported to the DVLA.

Where this comes from

• NHS — Sleep and tiredness
• The Sleep Charity — napping

How this page was put together

Every figure, recommendation and warning above is taken from the guidance named in Where this comes from. Nothing on this page is inferred, summarised or generalised beyond what those bodies publish: where they give a number, it is their number, and where they are silent, so are we. Pages are rebuilt whenever the underlying record changes. Sign-off by a named clinician, where it has happened, is shown at the top of the page along with the date.

Medical disclaimer

This article is general information, not medical advice. It cannot account for your own history, medication or circumstances. Always speak to a GP, pharmacist or another qualified health professional before making changes that affect your treatment, and never delay seeking medical advice because of something you have read here. In an emergency, call 999.