The Athlete Nap Protocol
The 20-minute power nap rule doesn't hold for endurance athletes. Here's what 12 sleep studies say instead.
Growing up, I was always told that 20-minute naps are the most efficient. Any longer and you'll wake up groggy.
New research completely debunks that for endurance athletes (it still holds true for strength athletes).
The study
Researchers in China pulled together 12 leading sleep studies covering around 180 athletes and built the ultimate nap protocol for athletes.
The protocol
Window: between 1pm and 3:30pm, ideally right at 2pm.
Length depends on your discipline. For endurance athletes, the sweet spot is just over 60 minutes. For strength athletes, it's 20 to 30 minutes.
Leave 60 minutes between waking up and training.
The full guide includes a detailed table by discipline.
I love targeted research like this. Every tool we can add to the quiver is another edge on race day.
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