Awake through sleep and coffee: how coffee napping works

Coffee napping combines caffeine with a short power nap. Find out how this combination works and what science currently says about it here.

When you’re tired, you drink coffee. If you’re even more tired, you take a nap. But both together? That’s exactly what coffee napping is all about – a simple trick to wake you up in a short space of time.

Coffee Napping combines two things: caffeine and a short nap. The idea is simple: you drink a cup of coffee and then lie down for 15 to 20 minutes. This seems contradictory because coffee wakes you up, doesn’t it?

That’s exactly the trick: caffeine needs around 20 minutes to take effect in the body. If you fall asleep immediately after drinking it, you wake up exactly when the caffeine becomes active – with a double kick of freshness. At least that’s the theory. So there is nothing standing in your way to enjoy a cup of coffee while playing online casino for real money.

This is what happens in the brain during coffee napping

Our body becomes tired because a substance called adenosine accumulates. Adenosine is a neurotransmitter that plays an important role in the sleep-wake rhythm. It binds to special receptors in the brain and thus slows down neuronal activity – which makes us sleepy. While we sleep, the body breaks down adenosine so that we feel fresher when we wake up.

Caffeine works by blocking the adenosine receptors in the brain. It is similar in structure to adenosine and occupies the receptors without having a dampening effect. As a result, adenosine can no longer exert its sleep-promoting effect and we feel more alert.

So if you take a short nap, some adenosine is already broken down – and the caffeine can develop its full effect during coffee napping, as there is less adenosine competing for the receptors. The result: you feel more rested than coffee or sleep alone would make you feel.

Coffee Napping: What does science say?

Coffee napping has not yet been sufficiently scientifically researched. So far, there have only been a few studies that have investigated the effects of coffee napping. Many of these studies also only have a small number of test subjects and are therefore only of limited significance. Nevertheless, some results provide initial indications that the combination of short sleep and caffeine could actually work:

A 1994 study and a 2006 study show that coffee napping during a night shift can increase energy and alertness more than caffeine or sleep alone.

A 2003 study examined the effect of coffee napping on ten adults. The study found that taking 200 milligrams of caffeine followed by a 20-minute nap improved energy and performance on computer tasks more effectively than a nap combined with a cold face wash or bright light.

However, caffeine in these studies is usually given in capsule form and not as coffee. This is another reason why the research to date is not conclusive enough to scientifically prove the effect of coffee napping.

What you should bear in mind when coffee napping

If you want to try coffee napping, you should follow these tips: