Should You Take a ‘Coffee Nap’ Before Your Next Workout?

In a perfect world, we’d all start every workout bursting with energy and ready to tackle whatever our favorite Peloton instructors could throw at us. In the real world, that boundless enthusiasm for hard work and a serious sweat session doesn’t always come naturally. Luckily, in addition to eating a pre-workout snack and getting plenty of rest, there’s one specific tool that has been shown to help athletes get an extra edge during exercise: caffeine. While chugging a cup of tea or coffee before a workout isn’t for everyone, caffeine has been shown to enhance alertness, boost energy, improve physical performance, and possibly even reduce pain.

Taking in a dose of caffeine is enough to give most people the extra oomph they need before a workout, but if you need a more potent punch of pep, you've got another science-backed option. Knowing that adequate rest and caffeine can both independently help enhance a workout, could putting the two together create the ultimate pre-workout power pair? Let’s explore the concept of a “coffee nap” and find out if combining sleep with stimulation could be an energizing game-changer. 

What Is a Coffee Nap?

A “coffee nap” is exactly what it sounds like: drinking some coffee (or really any caffeinated beverage) and immediately taking a nap. “A coffee nap involves drinking coffee and soon after taking a short nap to increase the effects on alertness that the caffeine in the coffee can give you,” says primary care physician and women's health expert Navya Mysore, MD. “It could also be caffeinated tea.”

If consuming a stimulant like caffeine and immediately counting sheep sounds counterintuitive, it kind of is. But while caffeine can start to kick in in as little as five minutes, the effects don’t typically start to hit their peak until 45 to 60 minutes after consumption. That means that you could feasibly down a cup of joe and hit the pillow for a short period of time, optimizing your pre-workout period with both a bit of stimulation and additional rest. 

The reason caffeine plus sleep could equal an added energy spike is a chemical in your body known as adenosine, which plays an important role in the sleep-wake cycle. It turns out that both caffeine and adenosine compete for the same brain receptors. When you feel particularly sleepy, high levels of adenosine circulate through your body. If you’re sleepy and chug an espresso, the caffeine makes a beeline for those receptors, effectively blocking the adenosine, resulting in less sleepiness once the caffeine kicks in. But if you chug the espresso and take a nap before the caffeine takes full effect, something interesting happens. 

“When you sleep, your body's adenosine levels drop, which clears adenosine from your brain,” Mysore says. “Caffeine competes with it for receptors in the brain and when you wake up from napping, the caffeine from your coffee has more receptors to bind to that leads to increased focus, alertness, and energy levels. Some studies show that a coffee nap can be more impactful than a power nap and/or coffee alone.”

So when you get the timing just right, sleep may actually help enhance the effects of the caffeine by clearing your brain of adenosine, leaving the receptors open for caffeine to really deliver a proper jolt. Coffee by itself can be great, and so can sleep, but paired together, the combo has the potential to truly elevate your game.

While the concept of a coffee nap seems straightforward, the timing is really crucial. Research suggests it’s best to consume the caffeine just before settling in for a short sleep, and to make sure an alarm is set before you drift off. “If you fall asleep, you really just want to be careful not to sleep for more than 15 or 20 minutes,” says registered dietitian nutritionist and author of High Performance Nutrition For Masters Athletes, Lauren Antonucci MS, RDN, CSSD, CDCES, CDN. “If you get into deep sleep, it will be harder to wake up, even if you have caffeine.” 

If you’re someone who really struggles to sleep midday—especially on such a strict timeline—you can still reap some of the benefits of a coffee nap by just allowing yourself to chill. “You don't even have to fall asleep—the magic is not necessarily in falling asleep,” Antonucci says. “We get a lot of the same benefits from just lying down and calming our central nervous system. There should be no pressure on the nap. Coffee kind of gives us permission to rest, which is really good for us.”

Are Coffee Naps Effective?

Combining caffeine and nap time may sound like a dream to some, but is the pairing actually effective in producing an energy spike? Well, that depends on a few things. First of all: how much does coffee stimulate your system?

“We're all so different in our receptivity and susceptibility to caffeine,” Antonucci says. “Some people say they can drink it and go to sleep, and others have to stop drinking it at noon or else they'll never get to sleep later. So for some people, a cup of tea is enough for their nap because coffee won’t allow them to go to bed at night, which undoes the whole benefit.” 

To put the caffeine hierarchy into perspective, a cup of brewed coffee has about 96 mg of caffeine, while a cup of brewed black tea has 47 mg. An 8-ounce energy drink can contain 71.9 mg of caffeine, while a 2-ounce energy shot can contain as much as 215 mg. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), healthy adults can generally tolerate 400 milligrams of caffeine per day (i.e. about four or five cups of coffee) safely, but there is a wide variety in caffeine sensitivity and metabolism, making some people much more prone to negative effects than others.

“If coffee and tea both contain too much caffeine to tolerate, don’t give up on the idea of a nap—you still deserve that 10 or 15 minutes of rest,” Antonucci says. “That could be meditation, reading a book, or just staring at the clouds outside your window. Even just a bit of rest before your workout—and, might I say, a little bit of a snack!—will probably do you good.” 

Mysore adds that combining caffeine with a bit of rest can be beneficial for many different scenarios if a person can tolerate caffeine. “Coffee naps can be beneficial before exercise, a long drive, preparing for a long night, and specifically beneficial for night shift workers and drivers,” she says. “But I think you can also do it for an energy boost during the day especially if you really respond well to them and you feel like it gives you more energy.” 

So while there is science behind the caffeine-sleep adenosine connection, those who aren’t big fans of coffee or tea can still reap some benefits of simply taking a time-out. “Sure, a coffee nap can be great,” Antonucci says. “There is a caffeine boost, and there can be a delay in the absorption and effect of the caffeine, which allows you to nap. But you don't even have to nap—it just gives you an excuse to say, ‘I should take this time out for myself and lay down or rest’ and the coffee kind of gives you the light at the end of the tunnel so you’ll wake up and not lay there all day or be groggy. So in that way, they do go together well in that we could probably use 15 minutes of rest anyway.”

Should You Take a Coffee Nap Before a Workout?

Pre-workout coffee has been shown to give exercisers an extra edge, and power naps also have the potential to take your performance to the next level. For some, the combo can be a golden ticket to a stronger sweat session. “The pre-exercise coffee can improve focus and energy, reduce fatigue, and increase endurance,” Mysore says. “Coffee naps can also increase metabolism in the brain, which can improve performance, coordination, and memory.”

Antonucci agrees, adding that simply sipping a caffeinated beverage and resting for a bit can actually inspire you to get sweating in the first place. “That little bit of coffee or tea before a nap does give you the extra oomph to get up after you lie down,” Antonucci says. “And coffee does increase alertness, focus, and motivation, which may help you go do the workout you want to do.” 

Another benefit of consuming caffeine before a workout is the potential to score an energy boost without sacrificing necessary fuel known as muscle glycogen. Glucose—otherwise known as sugar—is your body’s main form of energy and comes from the carbohydrates you eat. The glucose that you don’t immediately use is stored in your liver and muscles as glycogen. During super intense or extra long workouts, your muscles burn through that glycogen, so you ideally want to start with a strong supply. Studies have shown that while caffeine stimulates your nervous system and enhances athletic performance, it doesn’t deplete your glycogen stores.

“Caffeine spares muscle glycogen, which means you'll have a little more time in your workout before you get too tired or exhausted,” Antonucci says. “We use a lot of stored carbohydrates, especially during high-intensity exercise, so if you’re doing a longer class or a high-intensity Peloton ride that uses a ton of muscle glycogen, caffeine can be super helpful, as long as it doesn't affect your sleep.”

If, however, caffeine really isn’t your thing, Antonucci also makes a case for another pre-nap or pre-rest ritual that can help boost your workout: a snack. “It should certainly have some carbs and it might have protein or fat,” she says. “Some typical pre-workout snacks would be a banana or piece of bread with peanut butter, or a yogurt with some fruit or nuts.”

How to Take the Perfect Coffee Nap

There’s not necessarily a one-size-fits-all method for coffee napping, but here are Mysore’s general guidelines for getting the most bang for your buck (or buzz, depending on how much caffeine you chug):

When Should You Avoid Coffee Naps?

While coffee naps are generally considered safe, it is important to be aware of the potential risks involved with pre-workout caffeine consumption. Because coffee can stimulate your digestive system, some people do experience gastrointestinal discomfort when exercising. So if you’re prone to caffeine-related tummy aches, you might want to experiment with dosing and make sure you have access to a bathroom during your workout if necessary. 

Additionally, those prone to sleep disturbances will want to skip any caffeine consumption too late in the day. “Avoid taking a coffee nap less than six hours before going to bed and avoid excessive coffee intake overall especially if you have any problems with sleep and/or suffer from chronic insomnia,” Mysore says.

Finally, those sensitive to caffeine for any reason or who have been advised to minimize it might want to simply rest before their workout, sans coffee. For example, if caffeine gives you anxiety or an increased heart rate, a coffee nap is likely not for you. And if you’re pregnant, experts recommend sticking to a maximum of 200 mg of caffeine per day, so be mindful of how much you’re taking in, whether it’s before a workout, or at any other time. 

The Takeaway

If you’re looking for a little added boost to amp up your workout, a coffee nap may help you gain a bit more energy, focus, and stamina—but a caffeinated snooze isn’t for everyone. If you tolerate caffeine well and don’t have any associated risks or issues, you can try quickly downing a cup of black unsweetened coffee about half an hour before your workout, and then immediately snuggling up for a 15 to 30-minute power nap. Be sure to set your alarm, and avoid dozing off for too long, or the downtime can backfire. If you’re not a fan of caffeine, or you have to take extra precautions with it, then simply setting aside 15 to 20 minutes to chill out before your workout can go a long way in rejuvenating your mind and body before building up a satisfying sweat. 

This content is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute individualized advice. It is not intended to replace professional medical evaluation, diagnosis, or treatment. Seek the advice of your physician for questions you may have regarding your health or a medical condition. If you are having a medical emergency, call your physician or 911 immediately.