Influence of Mid-Afternoon Nap Duration and Sleep Parameters on Memory Encoding, Mood, Processing Speed and Vigilance.

With short habitual sleep, naps ranging from 10-60mins had clear and lasting benefits for positive mood and subjective sleepiness / alertness. Cognitive improvements were moderate, with only the 30min nap showing benefits for memory encoding. While there is no clear 'winning' nap duration, a 30min nap appears to have the best trade-off between practicability and benefit.