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

Part of paid clinical trials in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Sponsor
University of Pittsburgh
Study ID
NCT07217769
Status
Recruiting
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Conditions

  • Shift Work

Eligibility Criteria

Sex
ALL
Age
18 Years - N/A
Healthy Volunteers
Accepted

Interventions

  • No-nap — BEHAVIORAL
    No-nap opportunity offered
  • 15-min nap — BEHAVIORAL
    A 15-minute nap opportunity at 02:00am
  • 30-min nap — BEHAVIORAL
    A 30-minute nap opportunity at 02:00am
  • 45-min nap — BEHAVIORAL
    A 45-minute nap opportunity at 02:00am
  • 60-min nap — BEHAVIORAL
    A 60-minute nap opportunity at 02:00am

Study Details

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.

Key Dates

Start date
May 7, 2026
Status verified
Jun 2026
Primary completion
Aug 31, 2030
Completion
Aug 31, 2030

Study Design

Enrollment
130 participants (estimated)
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
CROSSOVER
Primary purpose
OTHER

Arms

  • Other: Napping order
    5 x 4 x 3 x 2 = 120 possible orderings of the 5 interventions for each person.

Primary Outcome Measure

BP dipping [ Time Frame: During simulated night shift, 12 hours ]

Central Contacts

Locations (1)

FacilityCityStateZIPSite coordinators
University of PittsburghPittsburghPennsylvania15261
Maureen Morgan
[email protected]
412-647-3078

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University of Pittsburgh· Pittsburgh, PA