Thermophysiological and fatigue responses to siesta deprivation during afternoon sustained office work

Siesta deprivation is a frequent consequence of modern work and lifestyle patterns, but the specific physiological and perceptual consequences of missing a habitual siesta have received little consideration. In particular, the relationships between siesta deprivation, physiological responses and perceived fatigue remain inadequately characterized. To address this gap, fourteen habitual afternoon nappers undertook a four-hour experiment that included two-hour continuous office work. Heart rate (HR), mean skin temperature (MST), core body temperature ( T core ), cortisol and immunoglobulin A (IgA) were measured, and Fatigue Scale-14 was evaluated before and after siesta manipulation stage (SMS). Results showed that during the SMS, siesta deprivation had reduced MST and T core by 0.87°C and 0.13°C, and increased HR by 10.97 BPM (p < 0.05). Normalized IgA and cortisol were decreased by 0.01 and 0.05 under siesta deprivation but was slightly increased due to siesta (p > 0.05). During afternoon work, MST and T core were significantly lowered under siesta deprivation conditions (p < 0.001), whereas mean HR did not differ significantly between conditions. Fatigue was increased by 1.5 after siesta deprivation and showed a ‘rise–fall’ pattern (p > 0.05). Findings indicated that siesta deprivation could alter thermoregulation and HR, and exacerbate fatigue during office work, providing insights into office working practice.