10 min vs 30 mins Nap during Nightshift
10 min vs 30 mins Nightshift Nap: Which is better? | Healthbiztips
If you've worked the nightshift, you know that there's a time when you really have to take a short nap to energize yourself. You might think that the longer the duration you spend napping, the better the outcome is.
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| 10 min vs 30 mins Nap during Nightshift photo credit: Jon Tyson @jontyson @unsplash |
@healthbiztips by Arlene Gentallan | psychology blog
Researchers compare the short term impact of a 30 minute and 10 minute nighttime nap on alertness, concentration, and performance by determining which nap duration predisposes an individual to experience sleep inertia.
Sleep inertia is the state of disorientation and grogginess you experience right after when you wake up. It significantly decreases alertness and physical performance and generally lasts from 15 minutes to 1 hour.
Surprisingly, in the study done, it is the 30 minute nighttime nap that is link to sleep inertia, not a 10 minute nap. Which means that employees who took a 30 minute nap during a night shift are more prone to feel groggy and tired afterward.
In tasks that require concentration such as driving and operating machinery, sleep inertia can inevitably expose an employee to occupational hazards.
In a working environment, this research reveals that a 10 minute sleep is not as detrimental as a 30 minute sleep on an employee's performance.
Often, employees are not aware of the short lived mental and physical impairment that is brought about by sleep inertia.
While a 10 minutes nap is beneficial beneficial because it usually does not cause sleep inertia, it however did not boost the performance of those who took it.
Did you have enough sleep prior to taking your night shift?
People who lack enough sleep are more prone to experience sleep inertia. So, it's worth knowing that it's not just the duration of a nap that's a good determinant of how well a person performs afterward.
Resources:
Hilditch, C. J., Centofanti, S. A., Dorrian, J., & Banks, S. (2016). A 30-Minute, but Not a 10-Minute Nighttime Nap is Associated with Sleep Inertia. Sleep, 39(3), 675–685. doi:10.5665/sleep.5550
