Drink coffee before your next nap to rest better

According to science, napping is good for you. So is coffee.

Why not combine them?

Research suggests that pairing the two can actually help you optimize your alertness: drink up, doze off, then get on with your day.

Food and Wine explains why the "coffee nap" works:

"Caffeine doesn’t actually wake you up. Instead, it blocks adenosine, a brain activity byproduct that makes you feel tired. Naps naturally clear adenosine from you brain, leaving the coffee less work to do when it finally kicks in after about 20 minutes—the ideal length of your nap."

You really don't want to be napping for longer than 20 minutes, anyway, as your brain might enter a deeper stage of sleep that leaves you groggy when you wake up.

The only catch: you'll have to down that coffee pretty quickly, Vox warns. So consider and iced cuppa if you can't stomach gulps of hot liquid.

A handful of studies in recent years appear to confirm that coffee naps are better than just a coffee or just a nap.

Studies — here and here — out of Loughborough University in the UK found that tired participants committed fewer errors in a driving simulator after taking a 15-minute coffee nap than those who either only had coffee or dozed off without caffeine.

A Japanese study found that participants taking a series of memory tests performed better after a caffeinated nap than these who just took a nap — or even those who napped and washed their faces or had a light shone in their eyes. They also claimed to feel less tired.

Don't feel guilty about that early afternoon doze. Nappers have been proven to be happier, healthier, and more productive than their non-napping friends. Naps enhance memory, are good for creativity, and help you de-stress. They even lower blood pressure in older adults. What's not to love?

Just be sure to time your power nap wisely. Nod off too late in the day, and you're likely to disrupt your circadian rhythm. Try to schedule nap time between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.

Are you a napper?