1Department Of Physiology, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, Vardhman Mahavir Medical College & Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi.
2Department of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, Vardhman Mahavir Medical College & Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi.
Introduction: Napping is a commonly observed phenomenon, seen due to increase in daytime drowsiness and is usually perceived as a part of circadian rhythm dip in level of alertness. Whether such brief periods of sleep are just a habit, a sign of sleep deprivation or underlying mood disorder is a matter of debate. This study was conducted to see the relationship of napping with various aspects of mood & performance.
Material & Method: One hundred first year medical students were assessed for sleep habits by means of a validated questionnaire. Mood disorders were scored using the depression, anxiety, stress scales (DASS). Performance was calculated based on their overall grades during the academic session.
Result: We found that non-nappers were significantly (59.3%) more regular in their sleep routines, followed early to bed and early to rise routines and had e” 7Hrs of sleep at night on weekdays compared to nappers. Nappers reported significant sleep disturbances and mood changes though there was no significant difference in the academic performance of the two groups. We also found that with increasing length of nap there was significant increase in various sleep disturbances and mood changes though these changes were minimal in those napping either for 30mins or 90mins.
Conclusion: From this study it appears that napping may not always be a healthy habit and in fact could be a marker of an underlying sleep deprivation, a psychiatric or psychological disturbance in some individuals. Further studies with larger sample size are needed to confirm these observations.
napping, sleep fragmentation, mood, performance
