Effects of Operational Naps on Blood Pressure and Performance Among Night Shift Workers
University of Pittsburgh
Summary
Night shift work schedules disrupt sleep and have a negative impact on cardiovascular health. Most who work in public safety occupations and in healthcare work night shifts. These workers experience abnormal blood pressure during night shifts and are at greater risk of cardiovascular disease. Napping during night shifts can help to restore blood pressure patterns to a more normal pattern and may help to reduce risk of cardiovascular disease. Naps may also have an impact on alertness and performance immediately upon waking. The overarching goal of this study is to determine which duration of a nap taken during simulated night shift work has the greatest impact blood pressure and post-nap performance. Researchers will compare 5 nap durations to see which has the greatest impact on blood pressure patterns and post-nap psychomotor performance. Researchers hypothesize that longer naps will lead to improved blood pressure outcomes and shorter naps will contribute to better performance after waking. Findings will help employers and employees who work night shifts determine how best to incorporate brief naps during night shift work.
Description
Blunted blood pressure (BP) dipping is a well-described risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) among older adults and individuals with chronic disease. Previous research shows that night shift workers are at risk and repeatedly exposed to blunted BP dipping as a consequence of sleep loss and irregular sleep. While occasional episodes of blunted BP dipping may not be harmful, repetitive exposure over years of night shift work, as experienced by public safety workers (PSWs) and healthcare workers (HCWs), is likely detrimental to cardiovascular health and increases risk of CVD. Recent resea…