How a Night Shift Nap May Influence Performance, Sleepiness, Mood, and Recovery Sleep

A 2-hour nap opportunity during a simulated night shift resulted in lower false starts in performance measures.

• The 2-hour nap condition led to lower false starts on the Brief Psychomotor Vigilance Test at the end of the night shift compared to other nap conditions.
• Response times immediately after recovery were slower for participants who had no nap compared to pre-recovery measures.
• Participants reported lower levels of sleepiness, fatigue, and improved mood during in-lab recovery after the 2-hour nap compared to shorter or no naps.
• There were no significant differences in sleep quality during recovery based on the duration of the night shift nap.

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