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.

Sleep health, lifestyle and mental health in the Japanese elderly

“…However, a short nap of 30 min between 1300 and 1500 h has little quantitative effect on nocturnal sleep. Moreover, a short nap is effective for recovery of attention, concentration and brain function [15,23]. The present results reconfirmed that habitually taking a short nap is effective in maintaining sleep quality [14,15,23], and indicated that napping is an effective way for elderly people to maintain the sleep.…”

“…Moreover, a short nap is effective for recovery of attention, concentration and brain function [15,23]. The present results reconfirmed that habitually taking a short nap is effective in maintaining sleep quality [14,15,23], and indicated that napping is an effective way for elderly people to maintain the sleep. The body temperature phase of elderly people is advanced 2 -3 h ahead of that of young people [35].…”

“…To assure proper sleep in the elderly, therefore, lifestyle improvements can play a key role. Sleep science in recent years has shown that regular short daytime naps can help relieve fatigue in the brain and improve nighttime sleep [10,15,16]. Naps are also reported to be effective in lowering the risk of dementia of the Alzheimer's type to one-fifth and in preventing lifestylerelated diseases [17].…”

“…It has recently been reported [15,16] that short daytime naps inhibit drowsiness and feelings of fatigue, and are effective in improving task results and EEG activity and lowering blood pressure. Short naps, therefore, are beneficial for brain function and relieving fatigue, and effectively prevent lifestyle-related diseases.…”

Treatment of sleep disorders in elderly patients

“…• Napping during the daytime is common among older adults. Although some research suggests that daytime napping may be associated with increased symptoms of depression and higher mortality [8], other studies suggest that short daytime napping is associated with improvements in subsequent nighttime sleep and daytime functioning [9][10][11][12]. Campbell et al [12], recently evaluated the effects of afternoon naps in a group of 32 healthy subjects (aged 55 to 85 years) and found that napping resulted in improved cognitive and psychomotor functioning and increased sleep duration without disrupting or decreasing the subsequent night sleep.…”