|
Definition: "An ergogenic aid is any substance or phenomenon that enhances performance "
|
|
||||||||
09.08.2009 |
|
|
The risk of you having a road accident between midnight and five in the morning is six times higher than at other times of the day. The cause is fatigue. A quick nap before you take to the wheel does wonders, as does the 200 mg of caffeine that a strong cup of coffee provides. French researchers, who worked together with car manufacturers Peugeot, Renault and Citroen, published their findings in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
The researchers did a trial with twelve men in their early twenties, the age category that is involved in the most traffic accidents. The test subjects had to drive two hundred kilometres starting at one thirty in the morning, and not having slept beforehand. A camera recorded how often the men crossed the white lines. They had been instructed not to do so.
On one occasion the men drank a cup of coffee just before setting off [coffee], on the other occasion they took a half hour nap in the car first [nap]. On yet another occasion they drank a cup of decaffeinated coffee [placebo] before getting on the road.
The men also drove the two hundred kilometres once during the day when they were well rested [daytime].
The table below shows how often the men crossed the lines in the car. As you can see, both a cup of coffee and a half hour nap improved the men's nocturnal driving.
The men felt less sleepy when they drove after a cup of coffee or a nap.
Of course there are lots of men who consume large amounts of caffeine every day. The researchers wondered if a single cup of coffee would work for them. Maybe this group can only stay awake by taking a half-hour nap.
Source:
More:
|
|
