The Restorative Role of Daytime Naps in Mentally Fatigued Endurance Athletes

Summary

This randomized, counterbalanced crossover study investigated whether a 30-minute daytime nap can mitigate the effects of experimentally induced mental fatigue in amateur master endurance athletes. Male athletes completed two home-based experimental sessions separated by one week: a mental fatigue condition, in which a 30-minute cognitively demanding task battery preceded the nap, and a control condition, in which participants took only the nap. Sleep parameters during the nap were monitored by wrist actigraphy, and perceived sleep quality was assessed after awakening. Subjective sleepiness, perceived mental fatigue, and cognitive performance were evaluated before the nap, immediately after the nap, and/or 30 minutes after the nap.

The study examined whether mental fatigue influenced nap characteristics and whether the nap improved recovery-related outcomes. The main outcomes included actigraphy-derived nap parameters, perceived sleep quality, sleepiness assessed with the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale, perceived mental fatigue assessed using a visual analogue scale, and cognitive performance assessed with a Flanker task.

Conditions

• Mental Fatigue
• Sleep
• Endurance Exercise
• Daytime Napping

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Mental Fatigue Induction Protocol

Participants completed a 30-minute computerized cognitive task battery designed to induce mental fatigue before the daytime nap. The protocol consisted of three consecutive 10-minute cognitively demanding tasks: a Flanker task, a memory task, and a Stroop task.

BEHAVIORAL

Daytime Nap

Participants took a 30-minute daytime nap at home between 14:00 and 15:00, at least one hour after lunch, in a quiet and dimly lit room. Nap characteristics were monitored using wrist actigraphy, and perceived sleep quality was assessed after awakening.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Universty of Milan

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• University of Physical Culture in Cracow

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• University of Rennes

  collaborator OTHER

• Universita Telematica E-Campus

  collaborator OTHER

• L.U.de.S. Sagl

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Model

CROSSOVER

Eligibility

Min Age

28 Years

Max Age

50 Years

Sex

MALE

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2021-01-11

Primary Completion

2021-05-15

Completion

2021-05-15

Countries

• Italy

Study Locations