Discover expert insights on supercharge your power nap. Professional advice and tips from LA Mattress Store to improve your sleep and comfort.
The term "power nap" gets thrown around a lot, but most people aren't taking them effectively. They're either too short to do anything, too long and leave you groggy, or timed wrong so you can't sleep that night.
Done right, a power nap can sharpen alertness, reduce stress, improve memory consolidation, and give you a second wind that lasts the rest of the afternoon. Here's exactly how to do it.
Not everyone approaches naps the same way — and knowing your type helps you build better habits.
The goal is to move toward planned or habitual napping — it's more restorative and less disruptive to your overall sleep patterns.
The most important rule. Short naps (10–25 minutes) keep you in light sleep stages, which means you wake up alert — not groggy. Even a 10-minute nap can improve alertness for a couple of hours.
Napping 30–60 minutes risks waking from deep slow-wave sleep, which causes that disoriented, heavy feeling. If you have more time and really need recovery, commit to a full 90-minute sleep cycle instead.
Your circadian rhythm dips naturally between 1 and 3 pm — this is the ideal window. Pick a time within that range and stick to it. After a week or two, your body will anticipate the nap and you'll fall asleep faster and wake up more easily.
Research comparing noon versus 2 pm nappers found the 2 pm group performed better on alertness tests afterward. Mid-afternoon is the sweet spot.
Drink a cup of coffee right before you lie down. Caffeine takes about 20 minutes to start working — exactly how long a good nap lasts. You'll wake up with the caffeine just beginning to kick in, helping you shake off any residual sleepiness.
Use cool coffee (not hot) so it doesn't keep you warm and alert during the nap itself.
Don't trust yourself to wake up naturally, especially if you're sleep-deprived. Set a firm alarm for 20–25 minutes from when you lie down. If you're somewhere unfamiliar — a car, break room, or quiet spot at work — consider sleeping with earbuds in so the alarm is the first sound you hear.
An eye mask does double duty: it blocks light and signals to others that you're intentionally resting.
Your brain keeps processing sound even during sleep. Background noise can prevent you from reaching the light restorative sleep you're aiming for, or yank you out of it mid-nap. Options that work: foam earplugs, noise-canceling headphones, or a white noise app on your phone. The goal is consistent ambient sound, not silence — silence can actually make you more alert to sudden noises.
Light suppresses melatonin and signals to your brain that it should be awake. Even during a short nap, a darker environment helps you fall asleep faster. Blackout curtains work best, but an eye mask works anywhere. Turn off or dim any bright screens or LED indicators in the room.
Your core body temperature drops slightly when you sleep. A room that's too warm fights against this, reducing both how quickly you fall asleep and how restorative the sleep is. Aim for 65–68°F (18–20°C). This isn't unique to naps — it's the same reason a cool, dark bedroom leads to better nighttime sleep overall.
Don't leap straight into action. Give yourself 5 minutes after your alarm goes off: drink water, take a few deep breaths, do a light stretch. If you did the nap coffee, the caffeine should be helping at this point. Rushing while still groggy undoes the benefits.
Power naps work well as a supplement to good nighttime sleep — not as a replacement. If you consistently need naps just to function, or if you're waking from naps feeling worse than before, something else is going on.
Excessive daytime sleepiness — particularly when it interferes with daily tasks or driving — can be a sign of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) or another sleep disorder. If that sounds familiar, talk to your doctor. A sleep study can identify whether something is disrupting your sleep quality at night.
Sometimes the culprit is simpler: an aging mattress that's no longer supporting your body properly, or a sleep environment that's too warm, bright, or noisy. Our team at any of our five LA showrooms can help you figure out whether your setup is working for you.
Yes. Twenty minutes is enough to complete a full light sleep cycle and wake up feeling refreshed. Studies consistently show it improves alertness, reaction time, and mood for 1–3 hours afterward.
Only if you nap too long or too late. Keep naps under 30 minutes and finish by 3 pm. Most people find this has no meaningful effect on how easily they fall asleep at night.
Even resting with your eyes closed and your body still provides some recovery benefit. Don't stress about whether you technically "fell asleep." Relaxation reduces cortisol and allows your brain to recover, even without full sleep.
Yes — this is a well-documented strategy sometimes called a "caffeine nap" or "nappuccino." Caffeine takes 20–30 minutes to reach peak effectiveness in the bloodstream, which aligns almost perfectly with an ideal nap length. Multiple studies have found this combination more effective than either napping or caffeine alone.
65–68°F (18–20°C) is generally ideal — cool enough to support the slight drop in body temperature that accompanies sleep. The same principle applies to your full night of sleep.
Related: More sleep tips from the LA Mattress Store sleep blog
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