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Throughout college, I tried just about anything to justify barely sleeping and getting by. Caffeine, exercise, even a supposed Navy SEAL protocol of staying up every four hours, punctuated by 30-minute power naps to function. But it wasn’t until I became a parent that I understood a whole new level of functioning-under-zero-sleep, and hearing an interview with Dr. Michael Breus—aka the Sleep Doctor—inspired me to try a very different approach: the Nap-a-Latte.
The term, which Dr. Breus has trademarked, refers to the following strategy for feeling refreshed after a sleepless night:
- Drink a 6- to 8-oz cup of coffee (about 90-100mg of caffeine), quickly*
- Set a timer and take a 20-minute nap
“You’ll wake just as the stimulant effects of the caffeine are kicking in (roughly 20 min), having also relieved some of the sleep pressure that’s been building, making you feel tired,” Dr. Breus writes, adding that he recommends taking a Nap-a-Latte no more than twice a week.
So, does it work? I have tried it in the past with a small cup of cold brew. My challenge was quieting my mind and actually resting during those 20 minutes, ignoring those sharp “hey, search that real quick!” or “set a calendar alert so you don’t forget this!” thoughts that’d bombard me the second I’d close my eyes. The fix? Ditch the phone and list the rogue thoughts in a notepad.
Even if I didn’t truly nap, just resting my eyes, elevating my legs and defragging my brain as it cleared out all those stray concerns rattling around proved restorative. My one addition? An eye mask—I’ve never found a brand more refreshing than Pixi BeautifiEYE Eye Patches—to help revive achy, tired lids and undereyes. It makes such a big difference as you get back to reality.
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Lead photo: Candace Braun Davison