When a nap helps
Naps are most useful when:
- You slept under 7 hours the previous night
- You have an afternoon or evening workout
- You're in a heavy training week
- You're traveling for a race and time zones are off
The two nap formats that work
Pick one:
- Power nap: 10-20 minutes, no deeper than light sleep. Wake refreshed, no grogginess.
- Full cycle nap: 90 minutes, completes one sleep cycle. Best on heavy training days.
When a nap hurts
Naps longer than 30 minutes but shorter than 90 leave you in deep sleep when you wake — that's where grogginess (sleep inertia) comes from. Naps after 4pm push back your night sleep. Don't replace night sleep with naps as a chronic strategy — naps supplement, not substitute.
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