Power nap timer
Pick a nap length, press start and close your eyes. A soft airliner chime wakes you when it's time.
The classic power nap: light sleep only, no grogginess.
Keep the tab open, with your sound on. The chime plays twice.
Which nap is which
| Length | What it does | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| 10 minutes | Alert straight away, with almost no grogginess | A quick reset at your desk |
| 20 minutes | Light sleep only; more alert for a couple of hours | The everyday power nap |
| 26 minutes | What pilots slept in NASA's cockpit study | Long drives, long shifts |
| 30–60 minutes | Reaches deep sleep: groggy for up to half an hour after | Best avoided |
| 90 minutes | A whole cycle, including REM; you wake as it ends | Catching up after a short night |
The NASA nap
In the early 1990s, NASA researchers led by Mark Rosekind studied pilots on long-haul flights. Pilots given a 40-minute rest in their seats slept for about 26 minutes on average, and afterwards their performance on vigilance tests improved markedly against pilots who didn't rest. It's the origin of the “26-minute nap”, and part of why airlines now plan controlled rest on long flights.
Napping well
- Lie down if you can, in a dim, quiet place. If not, an eye mask and some steady brown noise help a lot.
- Get up when the chime goes. A few more minutes is how a 20-minute nap becomes a groggy hour.
- Get light afterwards. Daylight and a few minutes of movement clear the last of the sleepiness.
- Napping every day and still tired? Check your nights with the sleep calculator, and talk to a doctor if it persists.
Questions
How long should a power nap be?
About 10 to 20 minutes. That's long enough to refresh you but short enough to wake before deep sleep, so you skip the grogginess. If you can't keep it short, go the other way: a 90-minute nap covers a whole sleep cycle.
Why add time to fall asleep?
A 20-minute nap means 20 minutes asleep. Most people take a few minutes to drop off, so adding five keeps the sleep itself at 20. If you fall asleep instantly, set it to none.
When is the best time to nap?
Early afternoon, roughly 1 to 3 PM, when the body clock dips anyway. Napping later than about six or seven hours before bed can make it harder to fall asleep at night.
What is a coffee nap?
Drinking a coffee right before a 15 to 20-minute nap. Caffeine takes around 20 minutes to kick in, so it arrives as you wake. A few small studies found the combination beat either a nap or caffeine alone for afternoon alertness.
Will the alarm work in the background?
Yes, as long as the tab stays open and your sound is on. It counts to a fixed time, plays the chime twice and sends a notification if you allow them.
Further reading
- How long should a power nap be?The best power nap is 10 to 20 minutes, or a full 90. What the research found, when to nap, how the coffee nap works, and how to nap well.
- How to study for long hours without burning outHow to study all day and still learn: work in blocks with real breaks, do the hard subject first, nap and use caffeine wisely, and protect your sleep.
- Sleep cycles explained: why 90 minutes mattersSleep runs in cycles of about 90 minutes through light, deep and REM sleep. What happens in each stage, why waking at a cycle's end helps, and how many you need.
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