Google Health Finally Recognizes the Value of Naps

A 20-minute nap will count toward your daily sleep total. But is a quick power nap worth it?

Dashia Milden Editor

Dashia is the consumer insights editor for CNET. She specializes in data-driven analysis and news at the intersection of tech, personal finance and consumer sentiment. Dashia investigates economic shifts and everyday challenges to help readers make well-informed decisions, and she covers a range of topics, including technology, security, energy and money. Dashia graduated from the University of South Carolina with a bachelor's degree in journalism. She loves baking, teaching spinning and spending time with her family.

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Google is ready to recognize iOS users' cat naps.

After the latest update to the Google Health app, naps greater than 20 minutes will now count toward your 24-hour total sleep duration in the app's Sleep tab. You'll still be able to see sleep trends over time for your main sleep session, like your longer nighttime stretch. Your main sleep session and naps will be available in separate tabs in your Sleep Score -- Google's single metric of how well you slept. You can use the metric to monitor your sleep trends over time.

The update, version 5.03, is now available for both Android and iOS users who use the Google Health app. For the 5.02 release, Google said Android users would be able to find and view recorded naps more easily. It let you see naps on separate tabs in your daily Sleep Score view. With the 5.03 release, that functionality comes to iOS as well.

Now you'll get more credit for your naps, but do naps really help restore your body? A February 2026 study in the journal NeuroImage indicated they could. Researchers evaluated 20 adults in a sleep lab study in two sessions. They took a one-hour afternoon nap, and the researchers assessed several brain and muscle functions, including the communication between the brain and muscles and how well the brain rewires itself to learn. The study found that a nap -- even a short one -- can help restore those brain functions.

But what counts as a nap for Google is still questionable. Will dozing off on your couch or at your desk for 20 minutes count toward it? In the future, I'm curious whether the app will distinguish nap quality rather than being duration-based. Google didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.

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DASHIA MILDEN

Editor

Dashia is the consumer insights editor for CNET. She specializes in data-driven analysis and news at the intersection of tech, personal finance and consumer sentiment. Dashia investigates economic shifts and everyday challenges to help readers make well-informed decisions, and she covers a range of topics, including technology, security, energy and money. Dashia graduated from the University of South Carolina with a bachelor's degree in journalism. She loves baking, teaching spinning and spending time with her family. See full bio