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Research from the (UniSA) has found that coffee and a catnap could be the answer to staying alert on the nightshift, with the combination improving attention and reducing sleep inertia.

More than 1.4 million Australians are shiftworkers, with more than 200,000 regularly working night or evening shifts.

Lead researcher from and the at UniSA said the finding could help counteract the kind of sleep inertia experienced by many shiftworkers.

鈥淪hiftworkers are often chronically sleep-deprived because they have disrupted and irregular sleep patterns,鈥� Dr Centofanti explained.

鈥淎s a result, they commonly use a range of strategies to try to boost their alertness while on the nightshift, and these can include taking power naps and drinking coffee 鈥� yet it鈥檚 important to understand that there are disadvantages for both.

鈥淢any workers nap during a night shift because they get so tired. But the downside is that they can experience 鈥榮leep inertia鈥� 鈥� that grogginess you have just after you wake up 鈥� and this can impair their performance and mood for up to an hour after their nap.

鈥淐affeine is also used by many people to stay awake and alert. But again, if you have too much coffee it can harm your overall sleep and health. And, if you use it to perk you up after a nap, it can take a good 20鈥�30 minutes to kick in, so there鈥檚 a significant time delay before you feel the desired effect.

鈥淎 鈥榗affeine-nap鈥� (or 鈥榗aff-nap鈥�) could be a viable alternative 鈥� by drinking a coffee before taking a nap, shiftworkers can gain the benefits of a 20鈥�30-minute nap then the perk of the caffeine when they wake. It鈥檚 a win-win.鈥�

The small pilot study 鈥� published in 鈥� tested the impact of 200 mg of caffeine (equivalent to 1鈥�2 regular cups of coffee) consumed by participants just before a 3.30 am 30-minute nap, comparing results with a placebo group.

Participants taking a 鈥榗affeine-nap鈥� showed marked improvements in both performance and alertness, indicating the potential of a 鈥榗affeine-nap鈥� to counteract sleep grogginess.

Dr Centofanti said this shows a promising fatigue countermeasure for shift workers. She says the next move is to test the new finding on more people.

To learn more about coffee napping, visit 鈥� a site dedicated to helping people get a good night鈥檚 sleep 鈥� and read the article .

Image credit: 漏stock.adobe.com/au/Pattanan