Cat nap lovers, you’re going to be thrilled with this news. It turns out that your penchant for a midday doze doesn’t mean you’re lazy. Instead, it gives you an edge over everyone else in the happiness department.

Getting good sleep is linked to a multitude of benefits, including everything from reducing heart disease to increasing daily productivity. While most people will hit the coffee pot instead of taking a quick snooze, research has confirmed that people who prioritize an afternoon siesta are a whole lot happier than their tired peers.

People who take naps are happier, according to science.

According to Professor Richard Wiseman of the University of Hertfordshire, “Previous research has shown that naps of under 30 minutes make you more focused, productive, and creative, and these findings suggest the tantalizing possibility that you can also become happier by just taking a short nap. Similarly, longer napping is associated with several health risks and, again, this is in line with our results.”

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Pretty interesting! If I look back on my napping days (before I discovered my love for coffee), I can attest to feeling terrible after waking up from a long nap. You know that feeling after a two-hour snooze when you wake up feeling sick, hungry, and kind of like a zombie? Who knew that long naps were actually bad for health?

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Study participants were given a happiness score to determine how their nap habits impacted their moods.

This study was conducted in preparation for the Edinburgh International Science Festival and involved 1,000 participants who answered an online survey about their napping habits. Based on their responses, the participants were then given a happiness score.

The findings showed that people who took short daytime naps scored 3.67 on average out of 5 points on the happiness scale. Those who didn’t nap scored 3.52, and people who took long naps scored 3.44. Adding to that objective view, respondents offered their own take on their moods based on their sleep preferences. Researchers said that two-thirds (66%) of short nappers reported feeling happy compared with 56% of long nappers and 60% of those who never napped.

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So, quick naps are best! That sounds like a good plan! In fact, more recent research from 2021 confirmed these results and found that the sweet spot for the length of a short doze was 20 minutes. According to researchers, napping for 20 minutes after lunch helped to reduce feelings of stress, which in turn improved participants’ mood.

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Some employers are encouraging employees to take short midday naps in light of the research.

In even better news, some progressive employers have caught wind of these findings and are using them to their advantage. This is especially notable in creative fields, where researchers from MIT found that the moment right before hitting deep sleep is when some of the best ideas are born, which is why the shorter the nap, the better. “If you access this brain state, you can be more creative in your waking life,” explained Adam Haar Horowitzone of the lead researchers of the study.

Professor Wiseman wasn’t sleeping on this boost in creativity and productivity either. He noted, “A large body of research shows that short naps boost performance. Many highly successful companies, such as Ben & Jerry’s and Google, have installed dedicated nap spaces, and employees need to wake up to the upside of napping at work.”

Arianna Huffingtonwho founded the Huffington Post, is so passionate about the topic that she wrote a book about it called “The Sleep Revolution.” She now runs Thrive Global, a company that also allows employees to nap. She said, “Studies have shown that naps boost our immune system, lower our blood pressure, increase our ability to learn, improve our memory, and performance of complex tasks. What workplace wouldn’t want a free way to do all that?”

All in all, these reports highlighted a significant link between well-being and taking shorter naps. So, if you’re looking for a way to boost your mood and improve your creativity and productivity, then jump into bed and hit the sack… but not for too long.

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Shannon Ullman is a writer who focuses on travel and adventure, women’s health, pop culture, and relationships. Her work has appeared in Huffington Post, MSN, and Matador Network.