SynthesisInternational journal of environmental research and public health2021
Effects of a Short Daytime Nap on the Cognitive Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Synthesis in International journal of environmental research and public health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 3 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 38 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Recovery Napping Protocol for Anesthesiologist Performance
The Acute Effect of Manual Massage Therapy on Daytime Napping in Poor Sleepers
The Effect of Various Types of Weighted Blanket on Daytime Napping: a Randomized Cross-over Clinical Trial
Who cites it
38 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Pooled it
- Prevalence of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in Healthcare Workers following the First SARS-CoV Epidemic of 2003: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- Daytime naps and depression risk: A meta-analysis of observational studies.Frontiers in psychology · 2022Pooled it
- Impact of a 25-minute nap on cognitive variables and reactive management of disruptive behaviour in trainee secondary school physical education teachers.BMC psychology · 2025Trial
- Afternoon naps can improve prospective memory performance by strengthening cue monitoring.Psychological research · 2025Trial
- Massage positively influences daytime brain activity and reduces arousal state in poor sleepers: a randomized controlled trial.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2025Trial
- Post-Lunch Napping as a Strategy to Enhance Physiological Performance and Cognitive Function in Elite Volleyball Players.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2024Trial
- Daytime Napping Benefits Passing Performance and Scanning Activity in Elite Soccer Players.Journal of sports science & medicine · 2023Trial
- Sleep quality modifies the association between nocturnal sleep, daytime napping, and mild cognitive impairment: A population-based dose-response study.Sleep medicine: X · 2026Article
- Sleep duration and efficiency predict heart rate variability during work hours in intensive care unit nurses.Nagoya journal of medical science · 2026Article
- Impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on work, life patterns, and coping behaviours of military personnel in Brunei Darussalam.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Multiple Health Outcomes of Daytime Napping: A Comprehensive Umbrella Review.Public health reviews · 2026Review
- Optimizing cognitive health and emotional well-being through daytime napping: current insights and future directions.Annals of medicine and surgery (2012) · 2026Review
- Sleep and neurocognitive performance in middle-aged Latina women in a rural agricultural community: insights from the CHAMACOS Maternal Cognition Study.Sleep advances : a journal of the Sleep Research Society · 2026Article
- Exploring person-centred sleep and rest-activity cycle dynamics over 6 months.Journal of sleep research · 2025Article
- Article
- Nomogram for predicting the success rate of sedation with intranasal dexmedetomidine in paediatric nonpainful diagnostic procedures: a retrospective study.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- New Generation Automatic Massage Chairs for Enhancing Daytime Naps: A Crossover Placebo-Controlled Trial.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Sleep patterns, sociodemographic correlates, and their association with economic preferences among Indian smallholder farmers.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Exploring the Influence of Napping Habits on Job Satisfaction: A Quasi-Natural Experimental Study Based on Longitudinal Data from China.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundNapping in the workplace is under debate, with interesting results on work efficiency and well-being of workers. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we aimed to assess the benefits of a short daytime nap on cognitive performance.
methodsPubMed, Cochrane Library, ScienceDirect and PsycInfo databases were searched until 19 August 2021. Cognitive performance in working-aged adults, both before and following a daytime nap or under control conditions (no nap), was analysed by time and by type of cognitive function (alertness, executive function and memory).
resultsWe included 11 studies (all in laboratory conditions including one with a subgroup in working conditions) for a total of 381 participants. Mean duration of nap was 55.4 ± 29.4 min. Overall cognitive performance did not differ at baseline (t0) between groups (effect size -0.03, 95% CI -0.14 to 0.07), and improved in the nap group following the nap (t1) (0.18, 0.09 to 0.27), especially for alertness (0.29, 0.10 to 0.48). Sensitivity analyses gave similar results comparing only randomized controlled trials, and after exclusion of outliers. Whatever the model used, performance mainly improved until 120 min after nap, with conflicting results during the sleep inertia period. Early naps in the afternoon (before 1.00 p.m.) gave better cognitive performance (0.24, -0.07 to 0.34). The benefits of napping were independent of sex and age. Duration of nap and time between nap and t1 did not influence cognitive performance.
conclusionsDespite the fact that our meta-analyses included almost exclusively laboratory studies, daytime napping in the afternoon improved cognitive performance with beneficial effects of early nap. More studies in real work condition are warranted before implementing daytime napping at work as a preventive measure to improve work efficiency.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.