😴 Researchers found that five-minute naps are too short to move deep enough through sleep stages to produce a notable benefit. On the other hand, sleeping for 30 minutes or longer gives the body enough time to enter deep (slow-wave) sleep. However, napping for too long or waking up from slow-wave sleep can leave you feeling groggy for up to an hour. This period of drowsiness is also called “sleep inertia.”⁠ ⁠ Given these considerations, the best nap length in most situations is one that is long enough to be refreshing but not so long that sleep inertia occurs. Naps lasting 10 to 20 minutes are considered the ideal length. They are sometimes referred to as “power naps” because they provide recovery benefits without leaving the napper feeling sleepy afterward.⁠ ⁠ _____⁠ ⁠ Exceptions to this include essential naps when sick, which are often longer because our bodies require more sleep when dealing with an illness. Also, naps in children should not be limited to 20 minutes, as children ha...