Effects of a 20-Min Nap Post Normal and Jet Lag Conditions on P300 Components in Athletes

Post-lunch sleepiness belongs to biological rhythms. Athletes take a nap to counteract afternoon circadian nadir, in prevision of disturbed sleep. This study examined the effects of brief post-lunch nap on vigilance in young and healthy athletes. The P300 components, physiological and cognitive performances were assessed either after nap or rest, following a night of normal sleep (NSC) or simulated jet lag condition (5-h advance-JLC). P300 wave is the positive deflection at about 300 ms in response to a rare stimulus, representing higher information processing. P300 amplitude reflects the amount of attention allocated whereas P300 latency reflects time spent on stimulus classification. P300 amplitude was significantly increased (Fz:11.14±3.0vs9.05±3.2 µV; p