title: The effects of a 20-min nap at noon on sleepiness, performance and EEG activity.
abstract: The prophylactic effects of a 20-min nap at noon on afternoon sleepiness were studied. Ten young adults who had normal sleep-wake habits without habitual daytime napping were subjected to nap and no-nap conditions at an interval of 1 week. After a nocturnal sleep recording (00.00-08.00 h), their EEG recordings during relaxed wakefulness, mood, performance, and self-ratings of performance level were measured every 20 min from 10.00 h to 18.00 h. For the nap condition, they went to bed at 12.20 h and were awakened when 20 min had elapsed from the onset of sleep stage 1. For the no-nap condition, they rested without sleeping by sitting on a semi-reclining chair. The nap did not improve task performance, however, it improved volition and the self-rating of task performance. It also suppressed subjective sleepiness and attenuated eyes-opened EEG alpha activities. The results suggest that a 20-min nap at noon had partial positive effects on the maintenance of the daytime arousal level.
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Sciences, Faculty of Integrated Arts and Sciences, Hiroshima University, Higashi-hiroshima, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hori
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect / Q000502:physiology*; D000513:Alpha Rhythm / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012146:Rest / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology*; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors