- The quality and duration of sleep are closely linked to physical and mental health.
- Adults should aim to sleep 7 to 9 hours a night, which can be a challenge, especially as we age.
- To compensate, many people take a nap during the day, but new research suggests that this may not be beneficial.
- A study found a link between daytime naps and an increased risk of mortality in all causes of causes in adults of middle and older age.
- Researchers suggest that nap may be an indicator of underlying health problems, rather than driving mortality directly, although their observation study cannot prove it.
As people age, spend a good night’s sleep can become more difficult, which leads to a diurnal nap to compensate for the lost night falls. However, a new study in adults of middle and older age suggests that the diurnal nap, in particular around the middle of the day, is linked to a higher risk of death of any cause.
The study, which was presented to Sleep 2025 – The 39th annual meeting of associated professional companies (APSS), held in Seattle, WA, between June 8 and 8 – cannot prove a causal link but suggests that additional research is necessary in the links between daytime naps and health.
A summary of the study is available in SleepThe Journal of the Sleep Research Society, although its full results were not yet published in a review evaluated by peers.
EMER MACSWEENEYMD, CEO and neuroradiologist consultant at Re: Cognition Health, who was not involved in this study, said Medical news today that:
“These results are important because they suggest that day -nap models could serve as early markers of declining health or the architecture of disturbed sleep in the elderly. Although previous research has focused on the night duration of sleep, this study widens the scope of the mortal by identifying the calendar, the results of the day are the importance of the vision of sleep of the day. as revealing as those of the night.
The study used data from 86,565 participants in British Biobank. At the beginning, participants were an average age of 63, 57% were women and none had a quarter of a quarter work.
All participants finished 7 days of activity Monitoring – Continuous port of a device similar to a wristwatch that follows the activity to monitor sleep and awakening times. The researchers used this data to identify the frequency, the calendar and the duration of the diurnal naps.
They recorded the average duration of the nap between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m., the variability of the length of the nap for each individual over the days and the calendar of naps in the windows of 2 hours from 9 to 11 a.m., 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., from 1 p.m. to 3 a.m., 3 p.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.
After adjustment for demography, the body mass index (
The duration of the median nap for all participants was 0.40 hours, with a variation in the duration of the nap of 0.39 hours for each individual. People have made the most naps between 9 and 11 a.m. (34%), with 10% between 11 and 1, 14% between 1 p.m. and 3 a.m., 19% between 3 and 5 p.m. and 22% between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.
During the 8 -year follow -up, 2,950 participants died (3.4% of the total). For those who died, average survival from the start was 4.19 years.
The researchers found that those who died during follow -up made longer naps, had more variation in their nap time and were more likely to take a nap between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Macsweeney said that: “This study recalls that nap is not intrinsically negative, but changes in napping behavior, in particular longer and irregular naps, can report evolving health problems. It strengthens the need for clinicians to ask questions about diurnal sleep as part of a routine assessment, especially in the elderly. ”
“It also opens the door to more in-depth research on neurobiological and physiological changes which can link diurnal sleep habits to mortality, in particular with regard to dementia at an early stage, inflammation or metabolic instability,” she said Mnt.
Another recent study suggests that excessive diurnal nap is linked to a higher risk of dementia.
However, these, as well as the latest study, are observational, cannot therefore show a causal link.
Kanwar KelleyMD, JD, certified for three plates in head and Oto-Rhino-Laryngology (Ent) surgery (ENT), Obesity and Life Medicine Medicine, and the co-founder and CEO of Side Health, which was not involved in current research, agreed that the study could not establish causality.
Kelley explained why there could be an association between diurnal naps and higher mortality:
“This may be due to the fact that individuals with higher comorbid conditions are more likely to undergo lower energy levels during the day or require naps. Alternatively, naps may be more frequently necessary for those who do not sleep enough at night, which can lead to an increase in comorbid conditions. Additional research will be necessary to identify stronger associations between sleep and mortality. ”
Macsweeney agreed, noting that “(g) has enabled studying the study, it is more plausible that excessive or irregular nap is a symptom rather than an underlying health problems.”
“In this context,” she told us, “excessive nap probably works as a clinical red flag rather than a direct contributor to mortality”.
There are several measures that you can take to try to sleep well, so that you are less likely to need these diurnal naps.
Macsweeney has recommended strategies based on following evidence:
- Establish a coherent sleeping schedule, even on weekends
- limit caffeine and alcohol, especially in the evening
- Creation of a soothing bedtime routine, without screens and jerk
- Increase in daytime exposure to natural light to strengthen circadian rhythms
- Management of medical conditions such as pain, heart failure or respiratory problems that can disrupt sleep
- Treat underlying sleep disorders such as sleep apnea or agitated leg syndrome
- Exercise regularly, but avoid a vigorous activity near bedtime.
She warned that: “((i) f excessive drowsiness persists despite good sleep hygiene, a clinical sleep assessment is recommended.”
“(The new study) is essential to remind medical workers to ask patients and sleeping guards for individuals and their quality of sleep. The establishment of good sleep habits can help you maintain a healthier and longer sleep. ”
– Kanwar Kelley, MD, JD