The Short and Sweet Afternoon Nap
An afternoon nap is a healthy and effortless way to escape the midday heat and be cool. Research shows that short naps can enhance mental focus, reduce stress, and support overall physical health. Taking an afternoon tap is an expression of the yama brahmacharya, right use of energy or moderation. By taking a break when needed, you are conserving and protecting your energy so you will be refreshed and ready when you need to be.
Rooted in ancient Roman and Greek traditions, the afternoon nap has been embraced across the Mediterranean, and popularized through Spanish culture as the siesta. In response to the region’s “warm climate and agrarian lifestyle,” people traditionally rested during the hottest hours of the day. It was a way to rest and recharge. While the siesta is still practiced, its popularity has diminished slightly with the rise of fast-paced, high-tech modern life.(14)
This shift is understandable, given how challenging it can be to balance responsibilities and joyful living, let alone carve out time for rest in the middle of the day. And while taking a nap sounds simple in theory, it isn’t always easy in practice. Like mindfulness or meditation, quieting a busy mind can feel nearly impossible.
The afternoon nap is something of a scientific art form. Ideally lasting around 20 minutes, it’s a brief rest that avoids the depths of deep sleep. The aim is to wake up feeling refreshed and ready for the remainder of the day. Too little or too much sleep can lead to grogginess or lingering fatigue. There’s a subtle balance at play with taking a successful nap.
How a Nap Fits into the Sleep Cycle
A nap is a short rest, not a deep dive into the full sleep cycle. Sleep is divided into two broad phases: non-REM (NREM) and REM. Within these, there are four distinct stages, with REM being the final one and most well-known. During a full night’s rest, we typically cycle through these stages four to six times.(4)(8)
Most people are familiar with REM sleep, which stands for rapid eye movement. This final stage is where dreaming occurs, typically starting around 90 minutes after falling asleep.(4)(8) REM accounts for about 20–25% of total sleep time, while the remaining 75–80% is spent in NREM sleep.(5)
NREM sleep consists of the other three stages:(4)(8)
NREM 1: Falling Asleep (duration: about 1-7 minutes)
NREM 2: Light Sleep (duration: about 10-25 minutes)
NREM 3: Slow Wave Sleep or Deep Sleep (duration: about 20-40 minutes)
In NREM 1, the body and mind begin to relax as heart rate and breath slow down. This phase lasts only a few minutes before transitioning into NREM 2, also known as light sleep. In this phase, eye movement ceases, body temperature drops, and breathing and heartbeat slow further. Over the course of a full night, we spend most of our sleep in NREM 2.(5)(9)
During NREM 2, the brain starts organizing memories and produces neural activity known as sleep spindles and K-complexes; phenomena believed to play a role in neuroplasticity and memory processing. Though their exact functions are still being studied, their presence is unique to NREM sleep.(2)(4)(5)(8)
The third stage is slow wave sleep or deep, restorative sleep, referred to as NREM 3. The body becomes still, heart and breath rates reach their slowest point, and brain waves slow dramatically. This phase supports physical repair and strengthens the immune system. From here, we drift into REM sleep and begin to dream.
Napping occurs within the NREM 1 and NREM 2 stages. That’s why an ideal nap lasts less than 30 minutes. Research suggests that around 20 minutes is the sweet spot to experience mental clarity and a refreshed feeling upon waking.
Any longer and there is the risk of waking up during the deep sleep phase of NREM 3 or REM and experiencing sleep inertia, feelings of tiredness and fogginess. If taking a long nap, aim for about 90 minutes to allow the body to complete at least one full sleep cycle.(3)(7)
Health Benefits of Nap
An afternoon nap is a quick pick-me-up and not really meant to catch up on lost sleep. While there are several types of naps, only one is needed for the afternoon: a short one. Whether you call it a power nap, cat nap, or appetitive nap, the ideal duration hovers around 20 minutes, just enough to leave you refreshed, mentally alert, and at ease.(10)(12)
If you do decide to take a longer nap, a 90-minute nap offers the chance to complete a full sleep cycle. Some studies suggest it may also help lower cortisol levels, the body’s primary stress hormone.(6)(15)
However, a consistent practice of long naps may not be ideal for heart health. In 2023, the journal Obesity published a study examining the relationship between nap duration and the connection to the heart. Researchers followed 3,275 adults aged 18–65 from the Mediterranean region, where siesta culture is deeply rooted. Approximately 78% of participants were women.
This cross-sectional observational study used a combination of self-reported data and biometric measurements. Variables such as evening sleep habits, smoking, and diet likely influenced the participants' experience.
They were divided into three groups: short siestas (those who napped for 30 minutes or less), long siestas (those who napped longer), and no siestas (those who didn’t nap at all).
About 35% were habitual nappers, averaging four naps per week. Of those, 20% preferred short siestas; the rest leaned toward longer ones. Nearly half said they napped to relax, while 11% only napped during summer months.
Findings revealed that short siesta-takers had a 21% reduced risk of high blood pressure compared to non-nappers. On the flip side, longer naps were linked to higher BMI, larger waist circumference, elevated blood glucose, and increased blood pressure.(13) This doesn’t necessarily mean long naps are harmful, but they may compound underlying health issues.
Consistent short afternoon naps are backed by research for their ability to reduce stress, sharpen mental clarity, and lower blood pressure; all excellent reasons to pause and relax when the sun is high and the day feels long.
Precautions of Napping
While afternoon naps offer notable health benefits, they may not be ideal for everyone. Some individuals are genetically predisposed to resist napping altogether.(1) For others, daytime rest can interfere with their nighttime sleep cycle, leading to fatigue and mental fog. As such, those with insomnia or have difficulty falling asleep at night may want to refrain from daytime napping.
Something to take into consideration when planning a time to take a nap is your circadian rhythm. This is our internal clock and it runs on a 24 hour cycle. Our circadian rhythm influences when we are hungry, tired, energetic, and when we wake up and go to sleep. It also influences our biological processes like body temperature, blood pressure, and the functions of the internal organs. This rhythm explains why you might feel a lull around 3 p.m. or hit a mental peak around 10 a.m.
Although many people follow similar circadian patterns, everyone's rhythm is unique. And it’s possible to change or alter your circadian rhythm based on your behaviors. For example, activities like increasing sunlight exposure or practicing meditation can positively shift energy and mood. Altering your wake or sleep time can also reset your internal clock.
For a rejuvenating nap, aim to align the timing with your natural energy dip. If your alertness peaks around 6 a.m. and wanes near 6 p.m., then midday may be the sweet spot for a short, 20-minute recharge. Napping too late in the day can disrupt nighttime sleep and defeat the purpose of a revitalizing snooze.(11)
Concluding Thoughts
Though napping may not suit everyone, an afternoon rest remains a simple and healthy way to stay cool and enjoy the summer. Stepping out of the heat and settling into stillness allows the body and mind to relax, and often enhances mental focus upon waking. An expression of brahmacharya, taking a nap is a way to conserve your energy so you can use it in a way that serves you best. Plus, research shows that those who take regular short midday naps tend to have lower blood pressure compared to those who nap longer or not at all.
To reap the benefits of an energizing nap, timing matters. It’s a delicate balance, grounded in science. Aim to nap during a natural dip in your circadian rhythm, and keep it short, around 20 minutes. This duration lets you enter NREM 2, the light sleep stage, without descending into the deeper phases like NREM 3 or REM sleep.
During NREM 2, the breath and heart rate slow, body temperature drops, and eye movement ceases. It’s also when the brain organizes memories and generates sleep spindles and K-complexes; neural bursts linked to cognitive restoration and activity in the brain’s grey matter.
A short midday nap is just one way to stay calm and collected when summer heats up. You can elevate the experience with cooling pranayama such as bhramari (humming bee breath), chandra bhedana, sitali or sitkari. All of these breathing techniques induce a calm, relaxed state of mind, which is a perfect way to prepare for a nap during a summer afternoon.
Bibliography
1 - Dashti, Hassan S., Iyas Daghlas, Jacqueline M. Lane, Yunru Huang, Miriam S. Udler, Heming Wang, and et al. “Genetic Determinants of Daytime Napping and Effects on Cardiometabolic Health.” Nature Communications 12, no. 900 (2021).
2 - Fernandez, Laura M. J. and Anita Lüthi. “Sleep Spindles: Mechanisms and Functions.” Physiological Reviews 100, no. 2 (2020).
3 - Hayashi, Mitsuo, Makiko Watanabe, and Tadao Hori. “The Effects of a 20 min Nap in the Mid-Afternoon on Mood, Performance and EEG Activity.” Clinical Neurophysiology 110, no. 2 (1999): 272-279.
4 - Healthline. “Everything to Know About the Stages of Sleep.”
5 - Joshua E. Brinkman, Vamsi Reddy and Sandeep Sharma. “Physiology of Sleep.” StatPearls Publishing, 2023.
6 - Lou, Sijia, Sifan Hu, Yun Chen, Kangqing Zhao, Yingying Zhou, Jianjun Hou, Lining Liang, and Hongqiang Sun. “Benefits of Napping Habits in Healthy Adults: Maintaining Alerting Performance and Cortisol Levels Change Within 90 min of Habitual Napping Time.” Sleep Medicine 119 (2024): 214-221.
7 - Lovato, Nicole and Leon Lack. “The Effects of Napping on Cognitive Functioning.” Progress in Brain Research 185 (2010): 155-166.
8 - National Council on Aging. “Sleep Stages, Cycles, And Why We Sleep.”
9 - National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. “Brain Basics: Understanding Sleep.”
10 - Sleep Doctor. “Types of Naps.”
11 - Sleep Space. “The Circadian Rhythm: The 24 Hour Cycle That Dictates Energy Levels.”
12 - Sleep Space. “The Science of Napping.”
13 - Vizmanos, Barbara, Ana Isabel Cascales, María Rodríguez-Martín, Diego Salmerón, Eva Morales, Aurora Aragón-Alonso, Frank A. J. L. Scheer, and Marta Garaulet. “Lifestyle Mediators of Associations Among Siestas, Obesity, and Metabolic Health.” Obesity, A Research Journal 31, no. 5 (2023): 1227-1239.
14 - Voyage Spain. “Origins and Modern Practice: The Traditional Spanish Siesta.”
15 - Wofford, Nathan, Natalie Ceballos, Gary Elkins, and Carmen E Westerberg. “A Brief Nap During An Acute Stressor Improves Negative Affect.” Journal of Sleep Research 31, no. 6 (2022).
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