Effects of Operational Naps on Blood Pressure and Performance Among Night Shift Workers

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.

Conditions

• Shift Work

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

No-nap

No-nap opportunity offered

BEHAVIORAL

15-min nap

A 15-minute nap opportunity at 02:00am

BEHAVIORAL

30-min nap

A 30-minute nap opportunity at 02:00am

BEHAVIORAL

45-min nap

A 45-minute nap opportunity at 02:00am

BEHAVIORAL

60-min nap

A 60-minute nap opportunity at 02:00am

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

  collaborator NIH

• University of Pittsburgh

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Daniel Patterson · University of Pittsburgh

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

OTHER

Masking

NONE

Model

CROSSOVER

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2026-05-01

Primary Completion

2030-08-31

Completion

2030-08-31

Countries

• United States

Study Locations