Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsBackgroundRationaleConflicting ResearchWeighing the EvidenceFAQs
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Background
Rationale
Conflicting Research
Weighing the Evidence
FAQs
Caffeine is a natural stimulant found in coffee that you are generally advised to avoid before bedtime as it can keep you awake. However, there are some who endorse the use of coffee for a so-called “caffeine nap.”
According to research conducted in the 1990s, drinking a cup of coffee after a midday nap can increase concentration, performance skills, andcognitioncompared to taking a nap without the coffee.
Tristan Fewings / Getty Images
Given that as many as one in three adults experience regular daytimesleepiness, might the benefits of a nap combined with the benefits of caffeine actually be a viable solution?
What the researchers found was that the group given caffeine achieved roughly the same scores as on their baseline tests, while those in the placebo group experienced a deterioration in all of their scores.
In their conclusions, the researchers stated that “the combination of a prophylactic nap and caffeine was more effective in maintaining nocturnal alertness and performance than was the nap alone.”
Is Caffeine Withdrawal Real?
The concept of caffeine nap was based largely on the stimulant’s known effects on a naturally occurring compound calledadenosinethat is involved in sleepiness.
As your cells burn ATP throughout the day, the buildup of adenosine in the brain will gradually make you sleepier and sleepier. Sleep, at least in part, is the process of clearing away the accumulated adenosine. By morning, after a good night of rest, adenosine levels are largely depleted and will start to increase again the longer you’re awake.
If you only get a few hours of sleep, you will wake up feeling sleepy because your body didn’t have sufficient time to clear the accumulated adenosine.
Caffeine can counteract this effect to some degree. By independently blocking the action of adenosine in the brain, caffeine can undermine its ability to induce sleepiness. This is how caffeine functions as a stimulant, increasing alertness and energy levels even when we should otherwise be sleepy.
As convincing as the science behind caffeine naps sounds, there are limitations to the research. Beyond the small size of the aforementioned study, the participants were all healthy and young; as such, we don’t know if the same effects may occur in older adults.
For this study, the subjects were given either 200 milligrams of caffeine or a placebo after a 60- to 90-minute daytime nap. Test were conducted before and after the naps, evaluating verbal memory, perceptual learning, and procedural motor skills.
Among the findings:
There are also limitations to this study’s findings. The main one is that a nap of 60 to 90 minutes is likely to place a person into aphase of sleepcalledslow-wave sleep.
People who awaken from delta sleep often feel groggy rather than refreshed. This can significantly blunt the stimulant effects of caffeine compared to people who take shorter naps.
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Despite a lack of clear evidence that a caffeine nap will improve your motor, memory, performance, or learning skills, there is little doubt that an afternoon nap can be beneficial to your health,or that a little caffeine can increase your alertness or energy levels when you are flagging.
If you do decide to give a caffeine nap a try, try taking the nap after lunch, when you are feeling extra sleepy. This typically corresponds to a natural dip in thecircadian rhythm(the biological mechanism that regulates the sleep-wake cycle)as well as the lethargy one feels after eating lunch (referred to aspostprandial torporor postprandial somnolence).
If you are prone toinsomnia, taking a caffeine nap late in the afternoon may leave you wide-eyed and unable to sleep at night.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is sleep deprivation?
Sleep deprivationis simply defined as not getting enough sleep. The amount of sleep needed can vary from person to person but, for most adults, it is between 7 to 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep.
What Are the Physical Symptoms of Sleep Deprivation?
Which is better when you are tired: a nap or coffee?
According to a 2017 review of studies from the University of Queensland in Australia, the more sleep deprived you are, the more your circadian rhythm will “override” the effects of caffeine in order to force you back into a normal sleep pattern. What this suggests is that caffeine is far less beneficial than a good nap and improved sleep practices if you are chronically sleep-deprived.
How do you take a coffee nap?
A coffee nap is best taken between 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. when there is a natural dip in the circadian rhythm.Thenap should be no longer than 15 to 20 minutes, during which you would enter stage 2 of sleep (referred to as light sleep). Upon awakening, drink no more than one cup of coffee; drinking more can leave you feeling jittery.
A Word From Verywell
A caffeine nap may be a quick fix for occasional daytime sleepiness, but an even better way to deal with the issue is to improve yoursleep hygiene. This is a practice in which you create an atmosphere to promote ample routine sleep, including avoiding personal electronics, food, and stimulants like coffee before bedtime.
By getting enough sleep and keeping to a regular sleep schedule, you will be less likely to need caffeine to keep you going during the day.
How to Fix Your Sleep Hygiene
14 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Bonnet AH, Arand DL.The use of prophylactic naps and caffeine to maintain performance during a continuous operation.Ergonomics. 1994 Jun;37(6):1009-20. doi:10.1080/00140139408963714Jaussent I, Morin CM, Ivers H, Dauvilliers Y.Incidence, worsening and risk factors of daytime sleepiness in a population-based 5-year longitudinal study.Sci Rep.2017;7:1372. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-01547-0Deboer T.Sleep homeostasis and the circadian clock: Do the circadian pacemaker and the sleep homeostat influence each other’s functioning?Neurobiol Sleep Circadian Rhythms. 2018 Jun;5:68–77. doi:10.1016/j.nbscr.2018.02.003Allada R, Cirelli C, Sehgal A.Molecular mechanisms of sleep homeostasis in flies and mammals.Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol.2017;9(8):a027730. doi:10.1101/cshperspect.a027730Nall AH, Shakhmantsir I, Cichewicz K, Birman S, Hirsh J, Sehgal A.Caffeine promotes wakefulness via dopamine signaling in Drosophila.Sci Rep. 2016;6:20938. doi:10.1038/srep20938Mednick SC, Cai DJ, Kanady J, Drummond SPA.Comparing the benefits of caffeine, naps and placebo on verbal, motor and perceptual memory.Behav Brain Res. 2008 Nov 3;193(1):79-86. doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2008.04.028McDevitt EA, Sattari N, Duggan KA, et al.The impact of frequent napping and nap practice on sleep-dependent memory in humans.Sci Rep. 2018;8:15053. doi:10.1038/s41598-018-33209-0Murray BJ.A practical approach to excessive daytime sleepiness: a focused review.Can Respir J. 2016;2016:4215938. doi:10.1155/2016/4215938Eysenbach G.Effect of caffeine on attention and alertness measured in a home-setting, using web-based cognition tests.JMIR Res Protoc. 2017 Sep;6(9):e169. doi:10.2196/resprot.6727Scullin MK, Fairley J, Decker MJ, Bliwise DL.The effects of an afternoon nap on episodic memory in young and older ddults.Sleep. 2017;40(5):zsx035. doi:10.1093/sleep/zsx035Reyner LA, Wells SJ, Mortlock V, Horne JA.‘Post-lunch’ sleepiness during prolonged, monotonous driving - effects of meal size.Physiol Behav. 2012 Feb;105(4):1088-91. doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2011.11.025Drake C.Caffeine effects on sleep taken 0, 3, or 6 hours before going to bed.J Clin Sleep Med. 2013 Nov 15;9(11):1195-200. doi:10.5664/jcsm.3170Medic G, Wille M, Hemels MEH.Short- and long-term health consequences of sleep disruption.Nat Sci Sleep. 2017;9:151-61. doi:10.2147/NSS.S134864O’Callaghan F, Muurlink O, Reid N.Effects of caffeine on sleep quality and daytime functioning.Risk Manag Healthc Policy.2018;11:263-71. doi:10.2147/RMHP.S156404
14 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Bonnet AH, Arand DL.The use of prophylactic naps and caffeine to maintain performance during a continuous operation.Ergonomics. 1994 Jun;37(6):1009-20. doi:10.1080/00140139408963714Jaussent I, Morin CM, Ivers H, Dauvilliers Y.Incidence, worsening and risk factors of daytime sleepiness in a population-based 5-year longitudinal study.Sci Rep.2017;7:1372. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-01547-0Deboer T.Sleep homeostasis and the circadian clock: Do the circadian pacemaker and the sleep homeostat influence each other’s functioning?Neurobiol Sleep Circadian Rhythms. 2018 Jun;5:68–77. doi:10.1016/j.nbscr.2018.02.003Allada R, Cirelli C, Sehgal A.Molecular mechanisms of sleep homeostasis in flies and mammals.Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol.2017;9(8):a027730. doi:10.1101/cshperspect.a027730Nall AH, Shakhmantsir I, Cichewicz K, Birman S, Hirsh J, Sehgal A.Caffeine promotes wakefulness via dopamine signaling in Drosophila.Sci Rep. 2016;6:20938. doi:10.1038/srep20938Mednick SC, Cai DJ, Kanady J, Drummond SPA.Comparing the benefits of caffeine, naps and placebo on verbal, motor and perceptual memory.Behav Brain Res. 2008 Nov 3;193(1):79-86. doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2008.04.028McDevitt EA, Sattari N, Duggan KA, et al.The impact of frequent napping and nap practice on sleep-dependent memory in humans.Sci Rep. 2018;8:15053. doi:10.1038/s41598-018-33209-0Murray BJ.A practical approach to excessive daytime sleepiness: a focused review.Can Respir J. 2016;2016:4215938. doi:10.1155/2016/4215938Eysenbach G.Effect of caffeine on attention and alertness measured in a home-setting, using web-based cognition tests.JMIR Res Protoc. 2017 Sep;6(9):e169. doi:10.2196/resprot.6727Scullin MK, Fairley J, Decker MJ, Bliwise DL.The effects of an afternoon nap on episodic memory in young and older ddults.Sleep. 2017;40(5):zsx035. doi:10.1093/sleep/zsx035Reyner LA, Wells SJ, Mortlock V, Horne JA.‘Post-lunch’ sleepiness during prolonged, monotonous driving - effects of meal size.Physiol Behav. 2012 Feb;105(4):1088-91. doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2011.11.025Drake C.Caffeine effects on sleep taken 0, 3, or 6 hours before going to bed.J Clin Sleep Med. 2013 Nov 15;9(11):1195-200. doi:10.5664/jcsm.3170Medic G, Wille M, Hemels MEH.Short- and long-term health consequences of sleep disruption.Nat Sci Sleep. 2017;9:151-61. doi:10.2147/NSS.S134864O’Callaghan F, Muurlink O, Reid N.Effects of caffeine on sleep quality and daytime functioning.Risk Manag Healthc Policy.2018;11:263-71. doi:10.2147/RMHP.S156404
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Bonnet AH, Arand DL.The use of prophylactic naps and caffeine to maintain performance during a continuous operation.Ergonomics. 1994 Jun;37(6):1009-20. doi:10.1080/00140139408963714Jaussent I, Morin CM, Ivers H, Dauvilliers Y.Incidence, worsening and risk factors of daytime sleepiness in a population-based 5-year longitudinal study.Sci Rep.2017;7:1372. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-01547-0Deboer T.Sleep homeostasis and the circadian clock: Do the circadian pacemaker and the sleep homeostat influence each other’s functioning?Neurobiol Sleep Circadian Rhythms. 2018 Jun;5:68–77. doi:10.1016/j.nbscr.2018.02.003Allada R, Cirelli C, Sehgal A.Molecular mechanisms of sleep homeostasis in flies and mammals.Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol.2017;9(8):a027730. doi:10.1101/cshperspect.a027730Nall AH, Shakhmantsir I, Cichewicz K, Birman S, Hirsh J, Sehgal A.Caffeine promotes wakefulness via dopamine signaling in Drosophila.Sci Rep. 2016;6:20938. doi:10.1038/srep20938Mednick SC, Cai DJ, Kanady J, Drummond SPA.Comparing the benefits of caffeine, naps and placebo on verbal, motor and perceptual memory.Behav Brain Res. 2008 Nov 3;193(1):79-86. doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2008.04.028McDevitt EA, Sattari N, Duggan KA, et al.The impact of frequent napping and nap practice on sleep-dependent memory in humans.Sci Rep. 2018;8:15053. doi:10.1038/s41598-018-33209-0Murray BJ.A practical approach to excessive daytime sleepiness: a focused review.Can Respir J. 2016;2016:4215938. doi:10.1155/2016/4215938Eysenbach G.Effect of caffeine on attention and alertness measured in a home-setting, using web-based cognition tests.JMIR Res Protoc. 2017 Sep;6(9):e169. doi:10.2196/resprot.6727Scullin MK, Fairley J, Decker MJ, Bliwise DL.The effects of an afternoon nap on episodic memory in young and older ddults.Sleep. 2017;40(5):zsx035. doi:10.1093/sleep/zsx035Reyner LA, Wells SJ, Mortlock V, Horne JA.‘Post-lunch’ sleepiness during prolonged, monotonous driving - effects of meal size.Physiol Behav. 2012 Feb;105(4):1088-91. doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2011.11.025Drake C.Caffeine effects on sleep taken 0, 3, or 6 hours before going to bed.J Clin Sleep Med. 2013 Nov 15;9(11):1195-200. doi:10.5664/jcsm.3170Medic G, Wille M, Hemels MEH.Short- and long-term health consequences of sleep disruption.Nat Sci Sleep. 2017;9:151-61. doi:10.2147/NSS.S134864O’Callaghan F, Muurlink O, Reid N.Effects of caffeine on sleep quality and daytime functioning.Risk Manag Healthc Policy.2018;11:263-71. doi:10.2147/RMHP.S156404
Bonnet AH, Arand DL.The use of prophylactic naps and caffeine to maintain performance during a continuous operation.Ergonomics. 1994 Jun;37(6):1009-20. doi:10.1080/00140139408963714
Jaussent I, Morin CM, Ivers H, Dauvilliers Y.Incidence, worsening and risk factors of daytime sleepiness in a population-based 5-year longitudinal study.Sci Rep.2017;7:1372. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-01547-0
Deboer T.Sleep homeostasis and the circadian clock: Do the circadian pacemaker and the sleep homeostat influence each other’s functioning?Neurobiol Sleep Circadian Rhythms. 2018 Jun;5:68–77. doi:10.1016/j.nbscr.2018.02.003
Allada R, Cirelli C, Sehgal A.Molecular mechanisms of sleep homeostasis in flies and mammals.Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol.2017;9(8):a027730. doi:10.1101/cshperspect.a027730
Nall AH, Shakhmantsir I, Cichewicz K, Birman S, Hirsh J, Sehgal A.Caffeine promotes wakefulness via dopamine signaling in Drosophila.Sci Rep. 2016;6:20938. doi:10.1038/srep20938
Mednick SC, Cai DJ, Kanady J, Drummond SPA.Comparing the benefits of caffeine, naps and placebo on verbal, motor and perceptual memory.Behav Brain Res. 2008 Nov 3;193(1):79-86. doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2008.04.028
McDevitt EA, Sattari N, Duggan KA, et al.The impact of frequent napping and nap practice on sleep-dependent memory in humans.Sci Rep. 2018;8:15053. doi:10.1038/s41598-018-33209-0
Murray BJ.A practical approach to excessive daytime sleepiness: a focused review.Can Respir J. 2016;2016:4215938. doi:10.1155/2016/4215938
Eysenbach G.Effect of caffeine on attention and alertness measured in a home-setting, using web-based cognition tests.JMIR Res Protoc. 2017 Sep;6(9):e169. doi:10.2196/resprot.6727
Scullin MK, Fairley J, Decker MJ, Bliwise DL.The effects of an afternoon nap on episodic memory in young and older ddults.Sleep. 2017;40(5):zsx035. doi:10.1093/sleep/zsx035
Reyner LA, Wells SJ, Mortlock V, Horne JA.‘Post-lunch’ sleepiness during prolonged, monotonous driving - effects of meal size.Physiol Behav. 2012 Feb;105(4):1088-91. doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2011.11.025
Drake C.Caffeine effects on sleep taken 0, 3, or 6 hours before going to bed.J Clin Sleep Med. 2013 Nov 15;9(11):1195-200. doi:10.5664/jcsm.3170
Medic G, Wille M, Hemels MEH.Short- and long-term health consequences of sleep disruption.Nat Sci Sleep. 2017;9:151-61. doi:10.2147/NSS.S134864
O’Callaghan F, Muurlink O, Reid N.Effects of caffeine on sleep quality and daytime functioning.Risk Manag Healthc Policy.2018;11:263-71. doi:10.2147/RMHP.S156404
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