Here’s The Science Behind The ‘Coffee Nap’

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Do you find that your mid-afternoon snoozes leave you feeling more groggy than recharged? If so, it might be time to add a little caffeine to your siesta time.

Yes, we know how weird that sounds, suggesting that coffee and napping can go hand in hand. But bear with us here. The mysterious yet beloved “coffee nap” can truly change the way naps benefit your body. It might even make you love nap time even more (if that’s possible).

The process is simple: just brew a cup of coffee (or tea if that’s more your style) and sip it down right before you sprawl out on the couch for your power nap. Twenty minutes later when you wake up, you’ll feel more refreshed and alert than ever.

According to science, the boost you feel from caffeine doesn’t typically kick in at full force until about 30 minutes after you’ve enjoyed your brew. The caffeine also has to compete with adenosine, the body’s natural chemical that makes you feel drowsy when you’re awake to tell you it’s time to rest and fades away when you’re actually sleeping. So when you nap right after consuming coffee or tea, the caffeine ultimately has a greater impact when you awake. Pretty cool, right?

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Experiments have actually found that coffee naps are more effective than both coffee and naps. Because they’re able to relieve the body of adenosine and boost it with caffeine simultaneously, they offer the maximum improvement in alertness.

Just remember to keep your nap to a true 20 minutes. Otherwise, you’ll start sleeping into the window of time when the caffeine kicks in, and your body will feel all sorts of confused.