There’s nothing like taking a nice, relaxing nap to recharge, but taking too many might be a bad sign for your health. For older adults in particular, excessive napping is not always simply a reaction to constant tiredness; this behavior may also be tied to a range of underlying health problems, from neurodegeneration to cardiovascular disease.
A new study published in JAMA Network Open has found that frequently taking long morning naps is associated with higher mortality rates in older adults. Tracking 19 years of data on napping habits and associated mortality rates, the study highlights how important it is to be mindful of the link between napping patterns and personal health.
“Our study is one of the first to show an association between objectively measured nap patterns and mortality and suggests there is immense clinical value in tracking napping patterns to catch health conditions early,” said lead author Chenlu Gao, an investigator in the Department of Anesthesiology at Mass General Brigham, in a statement.
The Link Between Excessive Napping and Mortality
The need to take a quick snooze is a natural part of aging — in fact, statistics show that between 20 and 60 percent of older adults take naps, according to the new study.
However, excessive napping can be an indicator of undiagnosed health issues, according to the new study. Researchers set out to corroborate this idea by focusing on factors that haven’t been carefully assessed in previous research, including the time of day that naps take place and changes in napping patterns from day-to-day.
The researchers examined data from the Rush Memory and Aging Project, established in 1997 to assess the cognition and neurodegeneration of older individuals in northern Illinois. Beginning in 2005, project participants wore wrist activity monitors for 10 days to measure rest-activity data, which was used to track nap length, frequency, time of day, and day-to-day variability.
After this initial data collection, the project team continued with follow-ups for 19 years to track mortality risk among the 1,338 participants.
The results of the 19-year follow-up revealed that longer, more frequent, and morning naps were all associated with higher mortality. Each additional hour of daytime napping per day was associated with around 13 percent higher mortality risk, while each extra nap per day was associated with around 7 percent higher mortality risk. Those who tended to nap in the morning had a 30 percent higher mortality risk compared to afternoon nappers.
Read More: Can You Sleep Too Much? Likely No, but Too Little Can Create Health Consequences
An Early Warning Sign
The researchers suggest that cardiovascular health may be a significant link between excessive napping and mortality; excessive napping often stems from sleep disruption and circadian mismanagement, which can lead to increased blood pressure and other changes in the vascular system that may promote the risk for fatal events.
Excessive napping can also be a coping mechanism for various pre-existing health conditions, including chronic lower respiratory diseases, chronic pain, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, mood disorders, and neurodegeneration. Therefore, it may be an early marker of these conditions, which can raise increased mortality risk if not treated.
“It is important to note that this is correlation not causation. Excessive napping is likely indicating underlying disease, chronic conditions, sleep disturbances, or circadian dysregulation,” said Gao. “Now that we know there is a strong correlation between napping patterns and mortality rates, we can make the case to implement wearable daytime nap assessments to predict health conditions and prevent further decline.”
Benefitting From Naps
Although excessive napping can be a warning sign for health issues, the occasional nap can still be greatly beneficial for older adults. Napping can increase your alertness, improve your memory, and boost your spirits.
A 2016 study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society found that 30- to 90- minute naps may be the perfect duration to maintain healthy cognitive function. Naps that last longer than 90 minutes, on the other hand, are more likely the result of not getting enough sleep at night, which can cause cognitive problems.
This article is not offering medical advice and should be used for informational purposes only.
Read More: What Happens to the Brain When We Miss a Night of Sleep?
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