A study linking excessive daytime napping to higher mortality risk in older adults highlights how sleep patterns may signal underlying health issues, with specific findings from two recent analyses.
Napping as a Potential Health Indicator
Excessive daytime napping in older adults is associated with a heightened risk of mortality, according to a study published by researchers at Mass General Brigham and Rush University Medical Center. The findings, based on data from 1,338 participants aged 56 and older, reveal that each additional hour of daytime napping increases mortality risk by 13 percent, while an extra nap per day raises it by 7 percent. We think naps are more like a reflection of health conditions,
said Chenlu Gao, a researcher at the MGB Department of Anesthesiology and lead author of the study.
The study, which tracked participants over 19 years, found that napping in the morning was particularly concerning. Morning nappers faced a 30 percent higher mortality risk compared to those who napped in the early afternoon. For a healthy person, after a night of sleep, they should feel pretty refreshed and able to stay awake in the morning hours,
said Ruixue Cai, another researcher involved in the study. For people who are not so healthy, they may struggle with sleepiness even in the morning hours.
Methodology and Key Findings
The research utilized data from the Rush Memory and Aging Project, which began in 1997 and included wrist actigraphy monitoring to objectively measure napping patterns. Participants, mostly in their early 80s, averaged 50 minutes of napping per day across two naps. Researchers noted that short naps (under an hour) were generally benign, but longer or more frequent naps correlated with higher mortality. Short naps, or within one hour per day of napping, are most likely benign or not associated with additional risks,
Gao stated.
A separate study published in Communications Medicine focused on women over 80, analyzing sleep-wake patterns over five years. It identified three distinct profiles of sleep changes: stable sleep (SS), increasing sleepiness (IS), and declining nighttime sleep (DNS). Participants with the DNS profile—marked by worsening circadian rhythms and increased napping—had twice the risk of all-cause mortality compared to those with stable patterns. Participants with significant reductions in amplitude or robustness and larger increases in nap duration had a greater risk of all-cause mortality,
the study noted.
Implications for Older Adults
Both studies underscore the importance of monitoring sleep patterns as a potential indicator of health.
Recommendations and Next Steps
Experts recommend limiting naps to 20 minutes and avoiding them after 2 or 3 p.m. to prevent disruptions to nighttime sleep. I think those are fine,
Gao said. We usually suggest limiting the naps to 20 minutes, and finish before 2 or 3 p.m.
Future research may explore the mechanisms linking napping to mortality, including the role of cardiovascular health, physical fitness, and social engagement. For now, the studies serve as a reminder that sleep changes in older adults warrant closer attention from both individuals and healthcare providers.
Worth a look
