October 01, 2006
Quick Naps make you a Better Worker
Sleeping on the job might not be slack after all, with new research suggesting nappers work better.Two specialists from the Adelaide Institute of Sleep Health have set out to solve the problem of tiredness and slow performance among medical staff working through the night.
The solution, claim professors Doug McEvoy and Leon Lack, is a snappy 10 minute nap on the job to regain alertness."Night shift requires the health professional to work when the body's clock requires sleep," Prof McEvoy wrote in the latest Medical Journal of Australia.advertisementThis interruption to the clock, also called circadian system, can cause slowed reaction times, increased feelings of fatigue, impaired concentration and an increased risk of falling asleep on the job.
The effect of this fatigue on a nightshift worker's performance is similar to being drunk - on par with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.05 - 0.10 per cent."The net result of this assault on sleep can be impaired patient safety, and the health and safety of health professionals themselves," he said.
The Flinders University specialists said the ultimate way to overcome excessive sleepiness is to counter it with strategically placed naps both before and during the night shift.They tested a range of afternoon naps between five and 30 minutes and 1-2 hours and found that 10 minutes shuteye gave the greatest improvements in alertness and performance over the following three hours without the post-nap grogginess.Afternoon naps were ideal, because they take advantage of a natural dip in circadian rhythms, the professors said.
The optimum length of a night nap, and whether they would work as well at 3am - when the sleep drive is stronger - as they do at 3pm, is still being tested."The picture emerging from night shift napping studies is similar to that from the afternoon studies," Prof McEvoy said."Health professionals who work night shift should, for the sake of their own health and safety and that of their patients, consider the benefits of night-napping."
