For many, a midday nap feels like a refreshing break, a way to recharge and boost focus. While short power naps can offer benefits, new research suggests that certain napping habits in middle-to-older adults might be linked to a higher risk of mortality.
A recent study presented at the SLEEP 2025 conference, led by Chenlu Gao, PhD, from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, explored the connection between objectively measured daytime napping patterns and all-cause mortality risk in a large cohort of middle-aged and older adults.
Understanding the Research
Unlike studies relying on self-reported data, this research utilized objective actigraphy data from over 86,000 participants in the UK Biobank. These non-shift workers, with a mean baseline age of 63, wore activity trackers for seven days to capture their real-world sleep and rest patterns between 9 am and 7 pm. Researchers tracked several key metrics:
Mean nap duration: The average length of daytime naps.
Intra-individual variability: How much nap duration changed from day to day.
Nap timing: When naps occurred throughout the day, focusing on specific 2-hour windows.
Over a follow-up period of up to 11 years, the team analyzed associations between these napping patterns and all-cause mortality, adjusting for various factors including demographics, BMI, smoking, alcohol use, comorbidities, nighttime sleep duration, and chronotype.
Key Findings: Which Napping Patterns Were Linked to Risk?
The study revealed statistically significant associations between specific daytime napping patterns and an increased risk of all-cause mortality:
Longer Nap Duration: Individuals who took longer average daytime naps showed a 20% increased hazard for mortality.
Greater Variability: Those with more inconsistent nap lengths from one day to the next had a 14% increased hazard.
Midday Timing: Napping more frequently between the hours of 11 am and 3 pm (specifically 11 am-1 pm and 1 pm-3 pm windows) was linked to a 7% increased hazard for mortality.
While these associations were statistically significant, the researchers noted that the magnitude was relatively small, meaning napping patterns accounted for only a small portion of the overall mortality risk in the studied population.
Association, Not Causation: Napping as a Health Indicator?
Crucially, Dr. Gao emphasized that this was an observational study, which identifies associations but cannot prove causation. The findings do not mean that taking a nap directly causes an increased risk of death.
Instead, the leading hypothesis is that these specific napping patterns – longer, more irregular, or frequent midday naps – are likely indicators or reflections of underlying health conditions. The need for such naps might signal issues that are contributing to higher mortality risk.
What Underlying Health Issues Might Be Linked?
Experts suggest that excessive or irregular daytime napping could stem from or be associated with various undiagnosed or poorly managed health problems. These can include:
Poor Nighttime Sleep: Insufficient or fragmented sleep during the night is a common driver of daytime sleepiness and napping.
Undiagnosed Sleep Disorders: Conditions like sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, or narcolepsy can severely disrupt nighttime sleep quality and lead to significant daytime fatigue and napping.
Circadian Rhythm Disruptions: Irregular sleep-wake schedules can throw off the body’s internal clock, affecting energy levels throughout the day.
Chronic Medical Conditions: Diseases such as cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorders (like diabetes), chronic heart failure, or COPD can cause fatigue and increase the need for daytime rest.
Mood Disorders: Depression and other mental health conditions can impact energy and sleep regulation.
Early Neurodegeneration: Changes in sleep patterns, including increased napping, can sometimes be an early sign of cognitive decline or neurodegenerative diseases.
This perspective is supported by other research linking long naps to higher BMI, waist circumference, and blood pressure – known risk factors for metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and heart disease. Frequent napping has also been associated with an increased risk of high blood pressure and stroke, while irregular sleep timing overall has been linked to major cardiovascular events.
What Does This Mean for Your Napping Habits?
The study’s findings should not necessarily lead people to stop napping altogether if they need it. Napping can still be beneficial for some individuals.
However, if you are a middle-aged or older adult who finds yourself consistently needing long, frequent, or irregular daytime naps, especially around midday, it might be wise to view this pattern as a potential signal from your body.
Instead of simply trying to eliminate the nap, experts recommend:
- Consult a Doctor: Discuss your napping habits and overall sleep quality with your physician. They can help identify or rule out underlying health conditions or sleep disorders that might be causing excessive daytime sleepiness.
- Evaluate Nighttime Sleep: Focus on improving the quality and consistency of your sleep at night. Getting adequate restorative sleep nocturnally can often reduce the need for extensive daytime napping.
- Practice Healthy Napping (If Needed): If you do nap, aim for a short duration (ideally less than 30 minutes) and try to take it earlier in the afternoon (e.g., before 3 pm) to avoid interfering with your nighttime sleep.
Ultimately, the research highlights the importance of recognizing that daytime napping patterns can be valuable indicators of overall health status, particularly as we age. Paying attention to changes in these patterns and discussing them with a healthcare provider is a proactive step toward maintaining well-being.
