A nap is a short period of sleep, typically taken during daytime hours as an adjunct to the usual nocturnal sleep period. Naps are most often taken as a response to drowsiness during waking hours. A nap is a form of biphasic or polyphasic sleep, where the latter terms also include longer periods of sleep in addition to one period. For years, scientists have been investigating the benefits of napping, including the 30-minute nap as well as sleep durations of 1–2 hours. Performance across a wide range of cognitive processes has been tested.
A man napping in a hammock, on a patio in Costa Rica
A power nap or cat nap is a short sleep that terminates before deep sleep. A power nap is intended to quickly revitalize the sleeper.
A woman having a nap in a napping pod, in the café Nappuccino in Barcelona, Catalonia (Spain)
A coffee nap is drinking a cup of coffee before a short 15-minute nap.
EnergyPod, a sleeping pod, located in a small nap room of the Olin library at Wesleyan University