A waitress serves coffee to customers at a coffee bar in Sao Paulo
A waitress serves coffee to customers at a coffee bar in Sao Paulo Reuters/Nacho Doce

Coffee naps might help maximize effectiveness of sleep and caffeine, said researchers. Having a coffee and then taking a twenty-minute nap might be the best way to wake up.

According to University Herald, usually coffee is considered a stimulant that interferes with sleep but a new study differs from conventional wisdom.

Researchers from Loughborough University found that when participants who were tired took 15-minute coffee naps, they made fewer errors while in a driving simulator in comparison to those who either had just coffee or just took a nap. It helps one feel refreshed as well makes the brain function better. The study involved the participants to take coffee naps before they did any cognitive task.

Another study by Japanese researchers showed that coffee naps before a memory tests helped the participants perform better in comparison to those who just took a nap. The participants were twenty-four males who were allowed to take naps throughout the day but were not allowed to get a full night's sleep. In comparison to those who had no coffee before the naps, the ones who did take coffee performed better.

Author Stephen Braun in his book, 'Buzz: The Science and Lore of Alcohol and Caffeine, explains that drinking caffeine is like putting a brick of wood under one of the brain's primary pedal. It binds with the gusto causing failure in the launch of important messages delivered through andenosine, a molecule in the brain.

Twenty minutes nap time after consuming coffee gives the caffeine more time to work in the brain apart from that it makes us feel drowsy as well. The interaction between sleep and caffeine with adenosine causes the drowsiness. The caffeine, after being absorbed by the small intestine, passes through blood and then comes to the brain where it fits into the adenosine.

A report by Vox shows that when adenosine accumulates in high levels, it makes one feel tired but with caffeine blocking the receptors, it is unable to do so. The end of the twenty-minute nap is when the caffeine kicks in, maximizing alertness and throwing away the tiredness.