Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 19, 2026

Collecting Sleep, Circadian, Fatigue, and Performance Data in Complex Operational Environments
Published on: August 8, 2019
Napping and Nighttime Sleep: Findings From an Occupation-Based Intervention
Natalie E Leland1, Donald Fogelberg2, Alix Sleight3
1Natalie E. Leland, PhD, OTR/L, BCG, FAOTA, is Assistant Professor, USC Mrs. T. H. Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry, and Assistant Professor, Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles; nleland@usc.edu.
Objective:
To describe sleeping behaviors and trends over time among an ethnically diverse group of community-living older adults.
Method:
A descriptive secondary data analysis of a subsample (n = 217) from the Lifestyle Redesign randomized controlled trial was done to explore baseline napping and sleeping patterns as well as 6-mo changes in these outcomes.
Results:
At baseline, the average time sleeping was 8.2 hr daily (standard deviation = 1.7). Among all participants, 29% reported daytime napping at baseline, of which 36% no longer napped at follow-up. Among participants who stopped napping, those who received an occupation-based intervention (n = 98) replaced napping time with nighttime sleep, and those not receiving an intervention (n = 119) experienced a net loss of total sleep (p < .05).
Conclusion:
Among participants who stopped napping, the occupation-based intervention may be related to enhanced sleep. More research examining the role of occupation-based interventions in improving sleep is warranted.
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