Napping Opportunity May Improve Clinical Performance of Anesthesia Residents

MONDAY, Sept. 14, 2026 (HealthDay News) — For anesthesia residents, a 30-minute napping opportunity improves clinical performance after a 24-hour shift, according to a study published in the October issue of Anesthesiology.

Laura Schmidt, Ph.D., from Claude Bernard Lyon 1 University in France, and colleagues examined whether a 30-minute nap opportunity improves simulated crisis performance after a 24-hour shift. A total of 35 residents were enrolled and tested twice: once rested and once using a 24-hour shift to induce partial sleep deprivation. In the sleep-deprived condition, they were randomly assigned to a nap opportunity (19 participants) or control condition (16 participants) .

Among 27 participants in the primary analysis sample, clinical performance was 14.8 points higher after the nap opportunity compared with controls, representing an improvement of 7.4 percent. The researchers observed no significant difference in technical skills between the groups; there was an association for more sleep with better technical performance. The nap opportunity condition had higher nontechnical skills (+11.0 points), including significant effects of leadership and utilization of resources. Associations between longer nap duration and multiple performance domains were suggested in exploratory analyses, which were strongest for technical skills.

The findings “provide initial evidence that a brief opportunity to power nap could mitigate the detrimental effects of sleep deprivation on simulated crisis performance in anesthesia and intensive care residents,” Schmidt said in a statement.

Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)

Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)