In the chart below, the red (top) line shows mental performance over time of people who took one 30 minute nap per day with no other sleep. The black (bottom) line shows mental performance over time of people who did not sleep or nap.
Chart from “Sleep, Sleep Deprivation, and Human Performance in Continuous Operations.” Col. Gregory Belenky.
USAFA.edu/isme/JSCOPE97/Belenky97/Belenky97.htm
So, after 3 nights without sleep, the person who took three 30 minute naps is operating at almost twice the level of the non-napper.
