| Napping and Cognition: Nap Now, Sleep Well Tonight |
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| Science - Biological Sciences | |||
| Written by TS-Si News Service | |||
| Thursday, 01 November 2007 19:00 | |||
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Human Chronobiology Lab says think better tomorrow
New York, NY, USA. Are you concerned that a midday snooze might ruin your good night's sleep? Fret not; ongoing research indicates that napping has little effect on sleep onset — and that a nap today may be beneficial for mental processing tomorrow. People over age 60 sleep two hours less per night than younger individuals, which can impair mental functioning during the day.
Researchers have evidence that a midday nap may improve daytime performance and mood in the elderly and in those who don’t get enough rest. The subjects are all "normal sleepers," but the researchers want to learn how napping affects their daily lives and mental functioning.
 Their research subjects are all normal sleepers. says Dr. Patricia Murphy, the associate director of the Human Chronobiology Laboratory at New York-Presbyterian / Weill Cornell Hospital. Along with the laboratory's director, Dr. Scott Campbell, she studies the influences on human sleep cycles, termed human chronobiology – research into the relationship between biology and time.
Study participants spend several sessions in the sleep lab. Their sleep and wakefulness states are recorded via electrodes attached to the head and a wrist activity monitor. After napping, and on the following day, they are then asked to perform arithmetic, decision-making and reaction time tests.
The subjects showed improved cognitive performance immediately after a nap and into the next day, when compared with days that didn't include (and weren't preceded by a day with) a nap. Napping did not seem to affect nighttime sleep.
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| Last Updated on Monday, 03 December 2007 10:49 |
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The TS-Si News Service is a collaboration of TS-Si staff, contributors, and corresponding institutions. Contents do not necessarily convey official positions of TS-Si, its partners, or affiliates