title: Effects of a daytime nap in the aged.
abstract: This study evaluated the effects of the daytime nap on performance, mood and physiological measures in aged individuals Participants were six healthy aged persons (M=72.2 years old) who habitually napped in the afternoon three or more times a week. They participated under two conditions with an interval of 1 week. In the nap condition, the subjects went to bed at 13:00 h and slept for 30 min. In the rest condition, they just watched television. In both conditions, electroencephalogram (EEG), blood pressure, mood and performance were measured before and after a nap or rest. The daytime nap improved performance, decreased subjective sleepiness and fatigue, and attenuated EEG alpha band activity. Moreover, following a nap diastolic blood pressure significantly decreased. These findings suggest that a habitual daytime nap helps aged individuals to maintain their daytime physiological, psychological and behavioral arousal at an adequate 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: Tamaki
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shirota
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hori
mesh_terms: D000339:Affect; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D000513:Alpha Rhythm; D001143:Arousal; D001288:Attention; D001794:Blood Pressure; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012894:Sleep Stages; D014851:Wakefulness