Few things beat a proper bed-rotting session, especially on a slow Sunday morning. But new research suggests that regular daytime napping might not be as benign as many people assume.
An occasional snooze after a demanding day is unlikely to be a problem for most. The concern, according to a new study, is when naps become a frequent habit—particularly for older adults—because they may be connected to underlying health conditions.
Researchers reported that more frequent daytime napping was linked with higher mortality rates. In this study, naps were defined as sleep episodes happening between 9am and 7pm.
The findings come from the Objectively Measured Daytime Napping Patterns and All-Cause Mortality in Older Adults study, recently published in JAMA Network Open.
It analysed 19 years of data from 1,338 adults aged 56 and older. The researchers found that people who took “excessive” daytime naps—along with those who napped in the morning—were associated with higher all-cause mortality.
As the paper notes: “While brief naps can immediately alleviate fatigue and improve alertness, excessive napping in later life has been linked to adverse health outcomes, including neurodegeneration, cardiovascular diseases, and even greater morbidity.”
The researchers also suggested that people who nap earlier in the day may have “more underlying health issues.”
Additionally, the data supports the idea that tiredness in the morning and afternoon may not share the same cause. One section proposed that chronic inflammation could contribute to daytime fatigue, which in turn may lead to increased napping.
Based on the results, the authors pointed to the “potential clinical value of incorporating wearable device–based nap assessments into routine health monitoring.”
This isn’t the only research to raise similar concerns. Last year, a study by the Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston examined nearly 90,000 adults and reported a clear association between frequent napping and worsening health.
Lead investigator Chenlu Gao told Medscape Medical News: “Our findings suggest that certain patterns of napping could serve as early indicators of declining health.”
They added: “Longer or more irregular naps may reflect poor nighttime sleep, circadian rhythm disruption, or underlying health conditions such as cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorders, depression, or early neurodegenerative changes.”
If your naps are getting longer or more frequent, it may be worth paying closer attention to what your body is trying to tell you.