A new study that took a closer look at daytime naps found an association between some factors an an increased risk for all-cause mortality in middle to older-aged adults.
The study looked at health and nap data from more than 86,000 non-shift workers. After analyzing different factors, researchers identified some factors that increased a person’s risk for all-cause mortality, including:
- Longer naps
- Greater variability in daytime napping duration
- Higher percentage of naps around noon and in the early afternoon
“Our study fills a gap in knowledge by showing that it’s not just whether someone naps but how long, how variable, and when they nap may be meaningful indicators of future health risk,” lead investigator Chenlu Gao, PhD, with the Division of Sleep Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, told Medscape Medical News. “However, it’s important to emphasize that these are associations. Because the design of this study is observational, we cannot determine whether napping patterns cause higher mortality risk or simply reflect underlying health conditions.”
Napping And Mortality Risk
Previous studies focused on the importance of nighttime sleep in terms of overall health, but this study wanted to explore napping’s role in the equation.
“While many studies have examined the links between sleep and mortality, they have largely focused on nighttime sleep, often overlooking daytime sleep. However, napping is an important component of the 24-hour sleep-wake cycle and may carry its own health implications,” Gao said. “These findings highlight the potential importance of considering napping behaviors in risk stratification of mortality in middle- to older-aged adults.”
Again, the results only point to correlation, not causation, but Gao and team had some thoughts on why these nap factors may be linked to increased mortality risk. Longer or more irregular naps may reflect worse nighttime sleep, circadian rhythm disruption, or underlying health conditions like cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorders or early neurodegenerative changes. These napping behaviors could serve as an early indicator of declining health.
Now, that’s not to say you should steer clear of napping if you’re feeling tired and you have some free time in the afternoon, but if your napping trends begin to follow some of the identified factors, it’s worth having a conversation with your primary care physician about some of the ways you can work to get better sleep at night and improve your overall health. Sleep is a crucial factor for overall health, but so too are factors like regular exercise, satisfying nutritional demands and avoiding unhealthy habits like smoking and excessive alcohol consumption. Making gains in these areas of your life may make it easier for you to avoid needing more frequent or longer naps, in turn lowering your all-cause mortality risk!
For more information about what you can do to live a long and active life, connect with Dr. Silverman and his team today!