Working from home has its perks, but it also comes with one sneaky downside: when the mid-afternoon slump hits, there’s no office chatter or break room coffee to distract you. For me, staying productive in this setup means working with my body’s natural rhythms — and that includes “power napping” when I need them.
Thanks to my thyroid issues and the onset of perimenopause, I often feel a wave of sleepiness as early as late morning. It’s like clockwork during certain parts of my cycle: I’ll sit down to draft an interior design proposal or answer emails, and suddenly my eyelids feel heavier than my to-do list. For a long time, I fought against it. I thought pushing through was what I was “supposed” to do. But all it did was leave me groggy and unfocused for hours.
Then I discovered the magic of power napping — short, intentional naps that help me reset, focus, and actually finish my work without feeling like a zombie by dinner.
Here’s why I now consider power napping an essential part of my work-from-home routine, and how you can make it work too, whether you’re working from home like me or powering through office life.
The benefits of power napping for focus and productivity
I used to feel guilty about how often I felt tired. It didn’t matter how much coffee I drank or how early I went to bed. Thyroid problems slow you down, and perimenopause adds sleep disruptions I never knew were possible. But instead of blaming myself, I started reading up on the science behind power nap benefits.
The National Sleep Foundation recommends short naps of 20 to 30 minutes to improve alertness and performance without leaving you groggy afterward. Any longer, and you risk falling into deeper sleep, which can make you feel worse. I’ve found that 20 minutes is my sweet spot. I wake up clear-headed, my brain feels sharper, and I’m able to actually get through the rest of my list.
It’s easy to write off a nap as lazy or unproductive, but research says otherwise. Harvard Health also notes that short naps during the day have been shown to improve mood, memory, and even reaction time. Once I gave myself permission to lean into that, I stopped beating myself up for needing rest and started seeing how much more effective I was after.
How to make power napping work when you work from home
One of the best parts about working from home is being able to tailor your day to your body’s natural rhythm. For me, that rhythm includes a nap.
What I’ve learned is that planning your nap is key. I schedule mine for right after lunch, when that sleepy lull hits. If I’m particularly fatigued, sometimes I’ll take another one in the late afternoon before I switch over to my publishing job duties. I set my phone alarm for 20 minutes, lie down on the couch or even our upstairs bedroom, and close my eyes.
Some days, I can’t even fall all the way asleep, but just lying still, with no screens, is enough. Other days, I’m out cold and wake up feeling like I just gained two extra hours of energy. Either way, I get up feeling ready to tackle the rest of my work and still have energy left for family time in the evening.
If you work from home and feel like naps make you “less productive,” I can tell you from experience: I get more done in shorter bursts of time when I take a power nap than when I push through in a fog.
How to fit in power napping when you work in an office
If you don’t work from home, power napping is still possible. You just have to get creative.
Back when I still worked in an office, I made it work even without fancy nap pods or quiet lounges. During really heavy days, I’d go to the office clinic and ask if I could lie down there for a bit. It wasn’t luxurious, but it gave me the quiet and privacy I needed to rest.
On other days, I used a little desk pillow I kept in my drawer. Right after lunch, I’d let my teammates know I was going to take a quick 20‑minute nap right at my desk with my head down. Nobody ever minded, and they knew I’d get up and power through my work better afterward.
Some people recommend napping in your car, but I’ve never done that—and I’d be cautious about it, especially during a heatwave or if you’re tempted to keep the AC running in a closed car. That can actually be dangerous. You’re better off finding a safe, ventilated space indoors if you can.
More and more workplaces these days even offer nap pods or wellness rooms. But even if yours doesn’t, the clinic, an empty meeting room, or just your own desk with a little pillow can do the job. The important thing is to be upfront with your team and block off that time for yourself.
Why power napping is self-care
It’s taken me a while to stop seeing my fatigue as a flaw. Thyroid disease, hormones, and the mental load of running a household and a business take a toll, and instead of punishing myself for needing rest, I’ve decided to embrace it.
For me, power napping is a form of self-care, and has become my secret weapon for keeping up with my work-from-home life. It helps me stay focused on my priorities, it keeps my mood steady, and it makes me feel like I can show up for my clients, my kids, and myself without running on empty.
If you feel guilty about closing your eyes in the middle of the day, you don’t need to. A short nap can actually make you more present and productive, not less. Try it tomorrow. Schedule yourself a 20-minute nap, see how you feel afterward, and let yourself experience just how much better it feels to work with your body, not against it.
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Photos from baona from Getty Images Signature, Susannah Townsend from baseimage, champja from Getty Images, and csr_ch from Pixabay. In writing this article, we used AI assistance for clarity, accuracy, and to align with our editorial guidelines and our commitment to providing valuable home design insights. You can view our full AI Use disclosure here.