--- title: "NASA just researched the perfect midday nap" description: "Everyone gets that \"2:30 feeling.\" Military personnel happen to get it at all times of day. Maybe you're on mids. Maybe you're in transit from Afghanistan to Japan. Or maybe you're being punished for doing something stupid. It happens. But…" date: "2020-04-29" modified: "2020-10-30" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-culture/best-power-nap/" categories: - "Military Life" --- # NASA just researched the perfect midday nap ![]() Everyone gets that "2:30 feeling." Military personnel happen to get it at all times of day. Maybe you're on mids. Maybe you're in transit from Afghanistan to Japan. Or maybe you're being punished for doing something stupid. It happens. But we don't always have access to Five Hour Energy shots, and sometimes coffee isn't cutting it. The best thing to do is give in: have your battle cover you while you rack out for a few minutes. Or maybe fifteen? A half-hour? A full hour? How long is the proper power nap? Thanks to NASA, we have the answer. --- ![]() "We can put a man on the moon, but we can't... what? We can? Oh, thanks, NASA." There's no shame in needing a little afternoon siesta. Anyone who swears by the power nap will tell you that nodding off for a few minutes can revive them for hours. Just don't let the First Sergeant catch you. But if you can get away with it on duty, you (and your coworkers) will be grateful to find you more productive and operating at a higher level. It's a natural part of human circadian rhythm, you're going to be intensely sleepy twice per day. You can't stop it, none of us can. ![]() So stop blaming the turkey already. NASA's research showed that naps really can fully restore cognitive function at the same rate as a full night's sleep. The space agency found that pilots who slept in the cockpit for 26 minutes showed alertness improvements of up to 54 percent and job performance improvements by 34 percent, compared to pilots who didn't nap. But 26 minutes might be a little long. "Napping leads to improvements in mood, alertness and performance [such as] reaction time, attention, and memory," according to Kimberly Cote, Ph.D, Professor of psychology and neuroscience at Brock University, who co-authored a similar study with researcher Catherine Milner. "Longer naps will allow you to enter deeper sleep, which will contribute to the grogginess — also called sleep inertia — experienced upon awakening and disrupt nighttime sleep." ![]() The worst part is when you wake up and you're still in Afghanistan. Cote and NASA suggest taking power naps between 10 and 20 minutes long. You'll get the most benefit from a sleep cycle without any of the grogginess associated with longer sleeping periods. You don't need to get through all five sleep stages, just the first two. Even just getting to stage 2 sleep for a few minutes will revive a napper enough to give him or her a new outlook on the day. So get cozy and rack out for a few. It's actually better for everyone. ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()