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Effects of a daytime nap in the aged
Author(s) -
Tamaki Munehisa,
Shirota Ai,
Tanaka Hideki,
Hayashi Mitsuo,
Hori Tadao
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
psychiatry and clinical neurosciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.609
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1440-1819
pISSN - 1323-1316
DOI - 10.1046/j.1440-1819.1999.00548.x
Subject(s) - nap , daytime , mood , psychology , blood pressure , arousal , audiology , electroencephalography , medicine , psychiatry , social psychology , atmospheric sciences , geology
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.