Perhaps a daily nap can do more harm than good, received 2025 10 30

[Colin Howard]

Greetings,

I've fallen foul of this, I seem to be able to drift off to sleep almost any
time, anywhere! Sometimes only for a few minutes but occasionally, for well
over an hour. In general, my night time sleep does not suffer but on other
occasions, my mind is racing with all kinds of thoughts causing sleep to
evade me.

I would be interested how others deal with this problem either when at work
or since retiring.

You're in the middle of the afternoon, eyelids heavy, focus slipping. You
close your eyes for half an hour and wake up feeling recharged. But later
that night, you're tossing and turning in bed, wondering why you can't drift
off. That midday snooze which felt so refreshing at the time might be the
reason.

Naps have long been praised as a tool for boosting alertness, enhancing
mood, strengthening memory, and improving productivity. Yet for some, they
can sabotage nighttime sleep.

Napping is a double-edged sword. Done right, it's a powerful way to recharge
the brain, improve concentration, and support mental and physical health.
Done wrong, it can leave you groggy, disoriented, and struggling to fall
asleep later. The key lies in understanding how the body regulates sleep and
wakefulness.



Most people experience a natural dip in alertness in the early afternoon,
typically between 1pm and 4pm. This isn't just due to a heavy lunch - our
internal body clock, or circadian rhythm, creates cycles of wakefulness and
tiredness throughout the day. The early afternoon lull is part of this
rhythm, which is why so many people feel drowsy at that time.



Research suggests that a short nap during this period - ideally followed by
bright light exposure - can help counteract fatigue, boost alertness, and
improve cognitive function without interfering with nighttime sleep. These
"power naps" allow the brain to rest without slipping into deep sleep,
making it easier to wake up feeling refreshed.

But there's a catch: napping too long may result in waking up feeling worse
than before. This is due to "sleep inertia" - the grogginess and
disorientation that comes from waking up during deeper sleep stages. Once a
nap extends beyond 30 minutes, the brain transitions into slow-wave sleep,
making it much harder to wake up.



Studies show that waking from deep sleep can leave people feeling sluggish
for up to an hour. This can have serious implications if they then try to
perform safety-critical tasks, make important decisions or operate
machinery, for example. And if a nap is taken too late in the day, it can
eat away from the "sleep pressure build-up" - the body's natural drive for
sleep - making it harder to fall asleep at night.



When napping is essential



For some, napping is essential. Shift workers often struggle with fragmented
sleep due to irregular schedules, and a well-timed nap before a night shift
can boost alertness and reduce the risk of errors and accidents. Similarly,
people who regularly struggle to get enough sleep at night - whether due to
work, parenting or other demands - may benefit from naps to bank extra hours
of sleep that compensate for their sleep loss.

Nonetheless, relying on naps instead of improving nighttime sleep is a
short-term fix rather than a sustainable solution. People with chronic
insomnia are often advised to avoid naps entirely, as daytime sleep can
weaken their drive to sleep at night.



From The Atlantic, the case for napping at work



Certain groups use strategic napping as a performance-enhancing tool.
Athletes incorporate napping into their training schedules to speed up
muscle recovery and improve sports-related parameters such as reaction times
and endurance. Research also suggests that people in high-focus jobs, such
as healthcare workers and flight crews, benefit from brief planned naps to
maintain concentration and reduce fatigue-related mistakes. NASA has found
that a 26-minute nap can improve performance of long-haul flight operational
staff by 34%, and alertness by 54%.



How to nap well



To nap effectively, timing and environment matter. Keeping naps between ten
and 20 minutes prevents grogginess. The ideal time is before 2pm - napping
too late can push back the body's natural sleep schedule.

The best naps happen in a cool, dark and quiet environment, similar to
nighttime sleep conditions. Eye masks and noise-cancelling headphones can
help, particularly for those who nap in bright or noisy settings.

Despite the benefits, napping isn't for everyone. Age, lifestyle and
underlying sleep patterns all influence whether naps help or hinder. A good
nap is all about strategy - knowing when, how, and if one should nap at all.

For some it's a life hack, improving focus and energy. For others, it's a
slippery slope into sleep disruption. The key is to experiment and observe
how naps affect your overall sleep quality.

Done wisely, naps can be a valuable tool. Done poorly, they might be the
reason you're staring at the ceiling at midnight.



Talar Moukhtarian is Assistant Professor in Mental Health at the Warwick
Medical School at University of Warwick.



This article was originally published by The Conversation.
RTÉ Lifestyle.

Colin Howard, Southern England.