Also known as a “caffeine nap,” a stimulant nap is a way of maximizing the effects of both a cup of coffee and a power nap when you start feeling afternoon drowsiness. This technique involves drinking a cup of coffee or taking a caffeine pill and then immediately taking a 15 to 20 minute nap.
The reason this works is because the molecule adenosine is a byproduct of brain activity that clogs up most of your brain receptors by the end of the day, causing you to feel very tired. When you drink coffee to combat your drowsiness, the caffeine is competing to fit into the receptors that are already full of adenosine. Since sleeping is the only way to naturally clear adenosine, taking a short nap before the caffeine kicks in will reduce the molecules that are making you feel drowsy right in time for the caffeine to start doing its job.
When you try this technique, just be careful not to oversleep. Anything over 20 minutes is a gateway to deep sleep, which will make it much more difficult to wake up and see the benefits of the stimulant nap.
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