Recovery from Fatigue.
Abstract
With the aim of evaluating the potential of napping for facilitating unimpaired continuous performance over long periods, four interrelated studies were carried out: (1) 430 young adults were administered a specially developed questionnaire to elicit nighttime and daytime sleep patterns. Parametric findings are reported. (2) Based on questionnaire responses, supplemented by an extensive interview, individuals typical of three response patterns were selected: (a) replacement nappers--those who use daytime sleep to make up for lost nighttime sleep, (b) appetitive nappers--those who derive psychological benefit from daytime sleep regardless of fatigue, and (c) confirmed non-nappers--those wo avoid napping because they 'feel worse afterwards than before.' A subsample of 33 individuals typical of these three groups took a one-hour afternoon nap where physiological and psychological parameters were recorded. (3) These subjects were subsequently requested to keep a 14-day sleep diary which permitted a more detailed analysis of the relationship between daytime and nighttime sleep. Several interesting and reliable differences between these groups in the physiological nature of naps and the consequences of napping were identified. (4) A collaborative study was carried out with the University of Louisville Performance Research Laboratory to evaluate the effectiveness of two short-term cognitive measures used in our past research to assess the restorative effects of napping on performance. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 27, 1975
- Accession Number
- ADA100347
Entities
People
- Frederick J. Evans
- Martin T. Orne