Take at most one nap a day, keep it to about 20 to 30 minutes and finish it by early afternoon, around 2 PM, because a short early nap restores alertness while a long or late one cuts into night sleep. Nap in a safe place, never near a fire, water or a hazard, and do not use naps to escape the day.
A short early nap stays in light sleep and refreshes, while a long or late one brings grogginess and cuts into night sleep.
A Short Nap Stays In Light Sleep
Sleep goes through stages through the night. A short nap stays in the lighter stages and you wake fairly easily and refreshed. A longer nap can carry you into deeper sleep, and waking from it brings grogginess, called sleep inertia. Napping late in the day also reduces the pressure to sleep at night, so bedtime becomes harder.
The 20 to 30 minute length and the 2 PM cutoff are practical rules of thumb used in the overview, not hard limits: a person who gets up very early may need to adjust the clock times to their own wake time, keeping the idea of early in the waking day.
Method: The Nap Routine
Step 1: Decide if you need it Napping is for the dip in alertness, usually in the early afternoon, or for a poor night. Do not nap from boredom or low mood.
Step 2: Choose the safe place Out of the sun and wind, away from fire, water and edges, and in a place where you will not be disturbed. Nap in the shelter if possible.
Step 3: Set a wake time Use the sun’s position, a watch or an alarm if you have one. You can stay lying down quietly even if you do not fall asleep: rest still helps.
Step 4: Wake with light and movement Stand up, wash your face, get daylight on your eyes and take a short walk. That clears grogginess.
Step 5: Skip the second nap One a day.
When To Break The Rule
After an exceptionally bad night, heavy exertion, illness or injury, rest more. After a night on watch, sleep when you can. The aim is to tell necessary recovery from avoidance. If you are sleeping many hours in the day for several days and cannot get moving, see Warning Signs in Yourself.
Do not push through severe sleepiness near hazards
Severe drowsiness while travelling, using tools, working near water or tending a fire is dangerous. Stop and rest in a safe place first. Do not nap beside a fire, in a vehicle with the engine running in a closed space, or near water or edges.
Common Mistakes
- Napping late in the day — it pushes bedtime later.
- Sleeping for hours — you will wake groggy and be awake at night.
- Napping in an unsafe place — choose it before you are exhausted.
What’s Next
- Learn next: Psychological Survival Tools — the mental techniques to add
- Combine with: Rest & Sleep Discipline — the rest of the sleep routine