How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Nap

I was born already an old man: cardigan-wrapped and with an inherent distrust of teens. So it was only natural that, like an Argonaut to a Siren, I would be lured into napping. A decade of working from home and afternoon energy slumps set the perfect trap, and now that I’ve started, I don’t plan to stop. Once I discovered that I didn’t lose productivity—and that midday snoozes actually boosted my energy—napping became a form of self-care. But it took some work for me to get good at it.

Set aside time and embrace failure

The most useful advice I found about napping was to be okay with not falling asleep. Because even if you aren’t sleeping, it’s still a time to unwind and be alone and quiet. Too easily I would become frustrated by not falling asleep quickly enough, and I’d become so anxious as to make the entire nap pointless. Instead, I now set a timer for 30 minutes, and if I end up just lying there breathing slowly, that’s still better than the alternative.

Get lulled to sleep

One of the hardest parts of napping on a schedule is quieting a too-loud brain. It’s easy to ruminate and stress, and to spend half an hour digging through your mind’s detritus rather than unplugging. Some people find that listening to an audiobook or a podcast also works—though I get too involved in whatever they’re talking about and end up delaying sleep to find out what happens next. Luckily, I discovered during a semi-regular attempt at meditation that most mindfulness courses knock me out. If you prefer a course that’s actually geared toward sleeping, both Wirecutter picks for meditation apps offer dedicated “sleep” meditations that I’ve found helpful. I’ve also enjoyed Sleepfulness and the free app Oak (iOS only). Regardless of whether I’m using a sleep-focused session or a traditional one, the practice of slowing my breathing and focusing on physical sensations often helps me fall asleep.

Set the scene

The things that make you comfortable and able to nap will doubtless be different to those used by other people. I’m on team “in bed, with blinds drawn, while still wearing my normal daytime clothes.” You might want a sleep mask, ear plugs, a white noise machine, blackout curtains, weighted blankets, or pajamas. But the most effective method I’ve found for improving sleep is ensuring that no one in your living space will disturb you. Let your partner or roommates know you’re napping so they won’t bug you. Also, though kids aren’t exactly known for respecting quiet time, we do have some advice on getting them to sleep, here. And put your phone on its “do not disturb” setting. You can also read more on how to set up your bedroom to more permanently block noise and light.

Caffeine and power naps

If you’re truly feeling exhausted, and you have a limited amount of time to recover, you can supercharge your naps by combining them with caffeine. Although this may sound counterintuitive, if you drink your coffee, tea, or whatever else right before your nap and then time it right (about 20 minutes or so), the energy spike will hit you just as you wake up. The studies are admittedly small, but there is some evidence to suggest that this technique works. Over the years, I’ve found this approach helpful when I have some downtime before a late night—New Year’s Eve, a midnight movie showing, or going out for drinks (back when that was still a thing). If you’re sensitive to caffeine or have trouble falling asleep at night, however, you may want to avoid trying this too late in the afternoon or avoid it altogether.

Keep it brief

Sleep inertia is that grogginess you feel after a long nap, the “where am I, why does my mouth feel like cotton, what day is it?” that hits you all at once. This side effect will often be worse after a long nap rather than a short one. I’ve found 30 minutes to be the sweet spot for me. This amount of time gives me a few minutes to settle down and actually go under, but it’s not so short that I don’t feel rested or so long that my body is tempted to go into full overnight sleep mode.