The NASA Studies on Napping

[n2doc]

It's popular these days to make the claim that napping is good for you. This author has even built an entire startup on the premise that we should nap more and better. But what data is this conclusion based on? One important study by NASA for the most part.

In the 1980s and 1990s, NASA and the FAA were studying whether or not in-cockpit napping could improve the job performance and safety of pilots flying long haul routes. The results are somewhat technical, but almost all contemporary news articles citing a measurable increase in on-job performance due to napping are actually based on this data.

In the study, NASA teams first picked out a group of commercial airline flight pilots flying a standard itinerary between Hawaii, Japan and Los Angeles. They then divided the pilots into two groups: A Rest Group (RG) that was allowed a 40 min cock-pit nap during the cruise portion of each flight and a No Rest Group (NRG) that was not allowed a mid-flight nap. Over the course of a six day study, the pilots flew four (4) flights during which NASA teams analyzed them for wakefulness before, during and after their flights. The teams even brought along EEG and EOG machines to measure the pilots’ brain activity during the tests to confirm whether or not the pilots sleeping, and how alert they were.

The most interesting results were as follows:

Reaction Time - Using a measure of reaction time called a "PVT Trial" the teams found that the naps helped pilots maintain their baseline reaction speed over the course of the flight. The data below show that over the course of a flight (from pre-flight to post-flight) the napping pilots maintained their reaction speed versus their non-napping colleagues, who tended to grow slower over the course of the flight. More importantly, the napping pilots maintained that reaction speed on subsequent flights, whereas the non-nappers pilots suffered accumulate fatigue from previous flights.

more

http://priceonomics.com/the-nasa-studies-on-napping/

[SheilaT]

1. For me, once I outgrew childhood naps,

napping was essentially impossible. If I fell asleep, I needed to sleep at least four hours, and even then I'd be extremely groggy for at least an hour. When I was in my twenties, I could sleep for amazingly long times: ten, twelve, fourteen hours straight. It was wonderful.

Once, after a flight to Europe, I got to the hotel and checked in at noon. I was very tired from the overnight flight, and set the alarm clock that was in the room for 3pm, figuring that should be long enough to be rested and get out and do stuff. I don't know if the alarm never went off or if I didn't hear it, but when I woke up it was midnight. Damn! The entire first day wasted. I got up, took a bath, read a little, and went back to sleep at 3am. No need to set an alarm, because I was sure I'd wake up at a reasonable time in the morning. The next time I opened my eyes it was 3pm. Twenty four hours of sleep! It was wonderful. I've rarely felt so rested.

Now that I'm practically an old lady (65) sometimes, if I haven't had enough sleep the night before, I can sort of nap in the afternoon. For about ninety minutes I doze a bit, and after that I'm not really sleepy any more. But I'd much rather get at least eight, and preferably ten hours of sleep a night.

All that said, I'm in awe of those who can nap and wake up alert. Doesn't work for me, though.