Participants who took two naps at night showed superior performance compared to those who did not nap.
and sleepiness were experienced directly after napping.
Napping resulted in less sleepiness and fatigue from 06:00 to 09:00 compared to no naps.
Response times on the Psychomotor Vigilance Test were faster in the nap groups.
Participants in the nap groups performed more single-digit addition calculations than those in the NO-NAP condition.
Performance in calculations was significantly better after the early morning nap (00:30-NAP) compared to the late-night nap (22:30-NAP).
Simplified
OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to elucidate the effects of two naps taken at night on morning waking state and performance.
METHODS: The participants were 12 women. The experiment was performed in a laboratory over 2 days (16:00-09:00). In this crossover comparative study, three experimental nap conditions were used (naps from 22:30 to 00:00 and from 02:30 to 03:00 (22:30-NAP), 00:30 to 02:00 and 04:30 to 05:00 (00:30-NAP), and no naps (NO-NAP), respectively). Measurement items were a Visual Analog Scale for sleepiness and fatigue, the Psychomotor Vigilance Test (PVT), and single-digit addition calculations (10 min) every hour for 18 h from 16:00 to 09:00, excluding nap times.
RESULTS: and sleepiness were noted directly after napping. Less sleepiness and fatigue were noted in the nap groups between 06:00 and 09:00 in the morning than in the NO-NAP condition and PVT response times were faster. Since participants in the nap groups were able to conduct more single-digit addition calculations, the performance of these groups appeared to be superior to that of the NO-NAP condition. Furthermore, the performance of calculations was significantly better in the 00:30-NAP than in the 22:30-NAP.
CONCLUSIONS: Taking two naps during a simulated night shift helps improve sleepiness and fatigue and maintain performance. Taking a nap in the early morning appears to be promising for improving the waking state.
Key numbers
2.5×
Higher Performance
Number of single-digit calculations performed in nap vs. no-nap conditions
0.001
Lower Sleepiness
P-value for sleepiness comparison between nap and no-nap conditions
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