having someone else to wake him is a good idea, yes. I think that closing your eyes if you really know you’re too stimulated to seriously sleep is okay tho, and it’ll help with the mental fatigue

If you’re too scared to close your eyes (afraid of sleeping instantly and zombie dismissing your alarm), then you can up caffeine prior to lying down. Also don’t forget to get some consistent sugar intake (I personally like smarties for their simple dextrose content), it’ll help keep energy up.

The ideal nap durations are either ~20 minutes so you don’t enter deep sleep, or ~90 minutes so you finish a rem cycle.

Fake sleeping / “resting” is surprisingly effective. Make sure to set alarms just in case and leave some peripheral lighting on but just lie down, close your eyes, and try to relax for 20 mins.

Even if you don’t fall into sleep, it definitely has restorative effect.

I also find showering (as if you just woke up and are starting your day) to be useful for feeling a little fresher.