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Napping during long drives more effective than taking a break

Written by: David Castillo on April 23rd, 2011

Napping during long drives more effective than taking a break | read this item

Not many people know the difference between taking a nap for 15 minutes and going on a brisk walk in order to eliminate sleepiness while on a long drive. A study by Queensland University of Technology masters student and sleep technician Chris Watling sheds light on the difference.

The results of his study show that despite study subjects reporting that they feeling alert after taking a break, the response times during experiments did not provide evidence of adequate energy levels. Watling issued study participants, aged 20 to 25 years old, driving task simulations in order to test their ability in detecting and responding to danger on the road.

Watling explains that “hazard perception is a very important driving skill and it has been shown to be the only driving skill that has a consistent relationship with crashes,” adding that “our participants were slightly sleep-deprived before undertaking the driving task. Instead of the recommended eight hours’ sleep, the participants had six to seven hours’ sleep.”

Source: Times of India