Research
Adherence
Scheduled napping (20-40 minutes) during night shifts improves alertness and reduces sleepiness in shift workers.
Take a 20-40 minute nap during your night shift, ideally between 2-3 AM, or before your shift starts. Allow 15 minutes after waking up for 'sleep inertia' to pass before performing high-risk tasks.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Naps ranging from 20 to 40 minutes taken during night shifts (eg, between 2 am and 3 am) are beneficial, as is prophylactic napping before a night shift.
Why this rating
Supported by laboratory studies and clinical trials.
Source
Sleep loss and circadian disruption in shift work: health burden and management
Shantha M. W. Rajaratnam et al. · The Medical Journal of Australia · 2013
DOI 10.5694/mja13.10561
narrative_reviewCited 208×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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