The surprising way your nap habits could affect your longevity

Many of us enjoy an afternoon nap here and there, but experts have warned that the frequency and length of those naps could affect your longevity.

Researchers from the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston found that longer, irregular and frequent daytime naps – especially those taken in the afternoon – were linked to a higher risk of death over an eight-year period.

Lead author and postdoctoral research fellow, Dr Chenlu Gao, told Fox News that while the study does not prove naps cause ill health, it adds more information that could help health professionals in the future.

“Our study fills a gap in knowledge,” Dr Gao said via Fox.

Dr Goa said the research shows “not just whether someone naps, but how long, how variable, and when they nap during the day, may be meaningful indicators of future health risk.”

Researchers followed 86,565 participants averaging 63 years of age, who worked regular daytime schedules for eight days while they wore actimetry sensors on their wrists – which detect movement during sleep but not brain activity.

The research team monitored the sleep-wake patterns during the first part of the study, then caught up with the participants eight years later and discovered that 5,189, or six per cent of them, died during that time period.

Their findings showed that taking longer naps, particularly during 11 am to 1 pm and 1 pm to 3 pm, was associated with a higher mortality rate.

Results were adjusted for other potential factors influencing mortality, like demographics, weight, smoking, alcohol consumption and nighttime sleep duration, and the researchers defined daytime napping as sleeping between 9 am and 7 pm.

Dr Gao told the American Academy of Sleep Medicine the results were significant because they highlight the need to potentially consider daytime sleep behaviors when assessing the mortality risks in adults. 

“Incorporating actigraphy-based daytime sleep assessments into clinical and public health practices may provide novel opportunities for early risk identification and personalized interventions to promote longevity,” Dr Goa said.

However, there were some limitations with the study, such as relying on actimetry sensors, which detect movement but not brain activity, so quiet wakefulness may have been misclassified as sleep.

Moreover, defining daytime napping as sleep between 9 am and 7 pm could have led to portions of participants’ primary sleep episodes accidentally included as naps and not sleep time.

Despite the limitations, Dr Goa hoped the study will inspire more research in this area and improve our knowledge on healthy living and longevity in the future.

“Interestingly, the data that shows risks associated with napping around midday and early afternoon contradicts what we currently know about napping, so further research on that link could be warranted,” Dr Gao said.

Read more: How quality sleep can unlock peace of mind for older adults

IMPORTANT LEGAL INFO This article is of a general nature and FYI only, because it doesn’t take into account your personal health requirements or existing medical conditions. That means it’s not personalised health advice and shouldn’t be relied upon as if it is. Before making a health-related decision, you should work out if the info is appropriate for your situation and get professional medical advice.