How Long Is A Good Nap? THE NANO-NAP: 10 to 20 seconds Sleep studies haven’t yet concluded whether there are benefits to these brief intervals, like when you nod off on someone’s shoulder on the train. THE MICRO-NAP: two to five minutes Shown to be surprisingly effective at shedding sleepiness. THE MINI-NAP: five to 20 minutes Increases alertness, stamina, motor learning, and motor performance. THE ORIGINAL POWER NAP: 20 minutesIncludes the benefits of the micro and the mini, but additionally improves muscle memory and clears the brain of useless built-up information, which helps with long-term memory (remembering facts, events, and names). THE LAZY MAN’S NAP: 50 to 90 minutesIncludes slow-wave plus REM sleep; good for improving perceptual processing; also when the system is flooded with human growth hormone, great for repairing bones and muscles.