2023-09-17 09:00:00
It’s better to take two naps of 90 and 30 minutes than a single 120-minute nap during a sleepless night, according to a study just published in the journal Scientific Reports.
Less fatigue with two naps
In their work, the scientists’ goal was to determine the best way to reduce fatigue and sleepiness in people who are awake at night, such as people who work during these hours or young parents.
So, they conducted experiments with 41 women. They were divided into three groups: the first without a nap (15 women), the second with a 120-minute nap between 10 p.m. and midnight (14 women) and the third with two naps, one of 90 minutes between 10:30 p.m. and midnight and one from 30 minutes to 2 hours.
Between 4 p.m. and 9 a.m., the participants were tested every two hours to check their performance in carrying out cognitive tasks but also their perceived fatigue, their drowsiness, their body temperature and the variability of their heart rate.
Results: From 4 a.m. to 9 a.m., in the no-nap and one-nap groups, fatigue and sleepiness were higher than in the two-nap group. In this one, drowsiness did not begin until 6 a.m.
Better responsiveness in the morning
The third group (two naps) was more responsive in the morning, meaning the participants’ speed of execution was better. On the other hand, those in the second and third groups (one or two naps) did not have better performance in carrying out cognitive tasks in the morning than the women who had not taken a nap.
Finally, the study shows that the later the 30-minute nap is taken, the more effective it is in combating drowsiness and exhaustion. In other words, the more people are in shape later in the morning.
“The results of this study can be applied not only to night workers, but also to mothers raising infants to reduce fatigue related to lack of sleep,” concludes Sanae Oriyama, one of the authors, in a communiqué.
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