Same-day napping exerts minimal impact on nocturnal sleep patterns, but habitual napping is significantly associated with disturbances in nocturnal sleep quality, and insufficient nocturnal sleep increases the propensity for daytime napping the following day, collectively suggesting a cyclical relationship between habitual napping and compromised nocturnal sleep.
Same-day daytime napping is less likely to impact nocturnal sleep on the same night.
Individuals with habitual napping patterns exhibit poorer nocturnal sleep quality.
Prolonged nocturnal sleep onset latency increases the likelihood of napping the following day.
Nocturnal sleep characteristics do not significantly affect the duration of the subsequent nap.
The study identified a bidirectional, cyclical relationship between habitual napping and compromised nocturnal sleep.
The study enrolled 1,704 college freshmen who wore actigraphy devices for five consecutive days while also completing questionnaires.
This research suggests that the relationship between daytime napping and nighttime sleep is more nuanced than commonly assumed. Contrary to the widespread belief that napping will disrupt that night's sleep, the study found that taking a nap on a given day has little measurable effect on how well a person sleeps that same night. However, people who nap regularly as a habit tend to have consistently poorer nighttime sleep overall, pointing to a longer-term association rather than a simple cause-and-effect on any single day. The study also found that nighttime sleep problems can drive napping behavior the next day. Specifically, when people took longer than usual to fall asleep at night, they were more likely to take a nap the following day — though the length of that nap was not significantly affected by how the previous night went. This creates a potential cycle: poor nighttime sleep leads to more napping, and habitual napping is linked to worse nighttime sleep quality, which could perpetuate sleep difficulties over time. The research was conducted with 1,704 college freshmen who wore wrist activity monitors for five days and answered sleep questionnaires, providing both objective and self-reported data. The findings offer practical insights for sleep hygiene guidance, suggesting that an occasional nap is unlikely to harm that night's sleep, but that a pattern of regular napping may be a signal of — and potentially a contributor to — underlying nighttime sleep difficulties.
Chen Y, Wei Y, Lei X. (2026). Interrelationship between napping and nocturnal sleep: Insights from actigraphy and self-reported data.. Physiology & behavior. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2026.115291