Heroic though they might be, adventurers can't spend every hour of the day in the thick of exploration, social interaction, and combat. They need rest--time to sleep and eat, tend their wounds, refresh their minds and spirits for spellcasting, and brace themselves for further adventure. Adventurers, as well as other creatures, can take short rests in the midst of a day and a long rest to end it.
Below are listed the default rules for taking both Short and Long Rests, but if a table wishes to change up the way in which Short Rests specifically function, consider the Optional Rule: Accelerated Rests and Arduous Rallies
A Short Rest is a 1-hour period of downtime, during which a creature does nothing more strenuous than eating, drinking, reading, dozing, and standing watch.
To start a Short Rest, you must have at least 1 Hit Point. When you finish the rest, you gain the following benefits:
A Short Rest is stopped by the following interruptions:
An interrupted Short Rest confers no benefits, and it must be started over to confer any.
A Long Rest is a period of extended downtime—at least 8 hours long—available to any creature. During a Long Rest, you sleep for at least 6 hours and perform no more than 2 hours of light activity, such as reading, talking, eating, or standing watch.
During the sleep, you have the Unconscious condition.
To start a Long Rest, you must have at least 1 Hit Point. When you finish the rest, you gain the following benefits:
After you finish a Long Rest, you must wait at least 16 hours before starting another one.
A Long Rest is stopped by the following interruptions:
If the rest was at least 1 hour long before the interruption, you gain the benefits of a Short Rest.
You can resume a Long Rest immediately after an interruption. If you do so, the rest requires 1 additional hour to finish per interruption.