A coffee and catnap keep you sharp on the nightshift, study suggests:
Lead researcher, Dr Stephanie Centofanti from UniSA Online and the Sleep and Chronobiology Laboratory at UniSA says the finding could help counteract the kind of sleep inertia that is experienced by many shiftworkers.
[...] "A 'caffeine-nap' (or 'caff-nap') could be a viable alternative -- by drinking a coffee before taking a nap, shiftworkers can gain the benefits of a 20-30-minute nap then the perk of the caffeine when they wake. It's a win-win."
The small pilot study tested the impact of 200 mg of caffeine (equivalent to 1-2 regular cups of coffee) consumed by participants just before a 3.30am 30-minute nap, comparing results with a group that took a placebo.
Participants taking a 'caffeine-nap' showed marked improvements in both performance and alertness, indicating the potential of a 'caffeine-nap' to counteract sleep grogginess.
Journal Reference:
Stephanie Centofanti, Siobhan Banks, et al.A pilot study investigating the impact of a caffeine-nap on alertness during a simulated night shift, Chronobiology International (DOI: 10.1080/07420528.2020.1804922)
(Score: 4, Interesting) by nostyle on Sunday August 30 2020, @09:12PM
Around 1930, Buckminster Fuller proposed "dymaxion" sleep cycles comprised of four 30 minute naps each day at six hour intervals. I actually tried this during my senior year in college, and with adequate intake of coffee, it does work. Beyond six hours without a nap, though, hallucinations were rather common. YMMV.
These days I tend toward a "latin" schedule of staying up half the night, waking at dawn and napping for an hour around noon.