Decide early whether to leave the airport at all
Checking visa requirements, re-entry rules, and whether leaving the terminal is even practical for your specific itinerary needs to happen before landing, not after, since the decision affects where you position yourself once you arrive.
Protect a block of real sleep
Whether resting in-terminal or stepping out briefly, treating at least one stretch of the night as non-negotiable sleep time — rather than letting the whole night dissolve into scattered naps — makes the following day's travel far more manageable.
Plan the handoff to your next flight the night before
Knowing your next gate, terminal, and any required rescreening before you try to sleep means you are not solving navigation problems on a few hours of rest the next morning.
Questions people ask
Is it generally worth leaving the airport for a short overnight stop?
It depends heavily on visa rules, transit time to anywhere worth visiting, and how much the following travel day already demands of you — a packed itinerary afterward argues for staying and resting instead.
How do I avoid oversleeping through a connection?
A phone alarm plus a second backup — a wake-up request at an airport hotel or rest area, where available — covers the risk of a single alarm failing after an exhausting day.