How long should you nap? Science finally has an answer

Daytime napping is a common habit practised by millions of people across all age groups. Research shows that a short nap of under 30 minutes during the afternoon can significantly help you in wakefulness, improve learning ability and enhance performance. Even naps as brief as 10 minutes have been shown to boost productivity and alertness. 

However, not all naps are beneficial. Longer naps exceeding 30 minutes are associated with sleep inertia and reduced productivity. More concerningly, frequent and lengthy napping habits may lead to adverse long-term health consequences, particularly among elderly individuals, including higher risks of morbidity and mortality. 

Therefore, the key to beneficial napping is in keeping the naps short, advisably under 30 minutes, which is considered an ideal duration for a healthy nap, restoring and refreshing the mind.  

A study was conducted in 2023 to determine how mid-afternoon naps of varied durations help in memory encoding, vigilance, speed of processing, mood, and sleepiness. They also studied whether these benefits extended for more than three hours after waking up. 

32 young adults were considered for experiments across four conditions: wake and naps of 10, 30, and 60 minutes. The results revealed that "naps ranging from 10 to 60 min increased positive mood and alleviated self-reported sleepiness up to 240 min post-nap." However, cognitive improvements were very selective.  "Only naps of 30 min improved memory encoding" compared to waking. The study also focused on the grogginess of individuals.  

"Sleep inertia was observed for the 30 min to 60 min naps but was resolved within 30 min after waking," the study noted, adding that “all nap durations improved alertness and increased positive mood.”  

The study found that when the condition of wake was compared to a 30 min nap, it “incurred minimal sleep inertia and benefitted memory encoding.” The study suggests that one should keep a nap time of about 40-45 minutes, given that one has a sleep latency of about 10-15 minutes, “for a midday refresh for learning and mood improvement.”

A 2023 Chinese study that followed 8,107 middle-aged and older adults over seven years found that afternoon napping may help protect brain health—but only when done in moderation and under the right conditions. 

The research found that "shorter sleep duration was independently associated with a faster decline in episodic memory."  For example, both sleeping under 7 hours or sleeping too much, over 8 hours, lead to memory decline and poorer cognitive function.  

"Moderate napping could protect against the negative effects of short or long sleep duration on episodic memory, which implied that middle-aged and older adults who have less optimal sleep duration might benefit from moderate napping for their cognitive function,” this study found. 

A short nap might be beneficial

A 2022 meta-analysis reviewed 54 studies which included 2,885 participants, ranging from 14 months to 83 years old, to measure the effects of afternoon napping on cognition. The study examined nap effects by studying age, nap length, nap start time, habituality and prior sleep restriction.

The research found that napping produced benefits across multiple cognitive domains, concluding that naps taken between 12:00 and 16:00 boosted cognitive performance.  

A 2025 review paper found that daytime napping "boosts alertness, memory, and emotional resilience" while also improving mood and well-being. However, the research identified that rules must be followed to ensure napping remains beneficial rather than harmful. 

"Short naps of less than 30 minutes enhance cognition without harming night sleep" and "moderate naps of 30 to 90 minutes support brain health and mood," the study found. However, it warned that "overlong naps of more than 60 minutes may impair sleep and speed cognitive decline," signifying that nap duration is a factor that requires attention.  

"Circadian rhythms favor naps between 1 and 5 PM for peak benefit," the study revealed. 

"Excessive napping correlates bidirectionally with obesity via elevated nighttime cortisol, appetite dysregulation, reduced physical activity, and sleep fragmentation."  

What do experts say?

Dr Jay Bhanushali, Pulmonologist, Zynova Shalby Hospital, Mumbai says that afternoon naps can be taken regularly if they are short, around 20 minutes, and not taken too late in the day.   

"They can improve alertness, mood, memory, and overall productivity," he said while cautioning that long or late naps may cause disruption in nighttime sleep, particularly in people struggling with insomnia. 

When asked about health concerns, he said that regular long naps of over two hours can worsen insomnia or nighttime sleep quality, making a person prone to Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, weight gain and poor metabolic health. 

Dr Bhanushali noted that long naps of over two hours every day can disrupt the circadian rhythm and impact memory and alertness. "Long naps can interfere with nighttime sleep and reduce alertness and impact attention span," he added. 

"It is not at all advisable to exceed the nap for over 2 to 3 hours," Dr Bhanushali recommended. 

This story is done in collaboration with First Check, which is the health journalism vertical of DataLEADS