
What a 20-minute nap actually does to your brain
🎧 Prefer to listen? Your browser does not support the audio element. I used to feel guilty about napping. Like I was wasting time or admitting defeat. Then I started digging into what actually happens in your brain during a 20-minute nap, and I realized I’d been thinking about it completely wrong. A power nap isn’t giving up — it’s one of the most effective cognitive tools you can use, and the research from 2026 is making that case more clearly than ever. ...