A US study published in JAMA Network Open, analyzing data from 1,338 older adults (aged 56+) over approximately 19 years, reveals that excessive daytime napping is linked to a higher risk of all-cause mortality, with each additional hour of napping associated with a 13% increased risk of death and each extra nap per day increasing mortality risk by 7%. This research, which utilized wrist activity monitors for objective measurement, found that morning naps posed the greatest risk, carrying a 30% higher mortality risk compared to afternoon naps, suggesting that changes in napping patterns could serve as an early clinical indicator of declining health and underlying conditions, potentially allowing physicians to monitor patients and identify health issues sooner.

A US study published in JAMA Network Open, analyzing data from 1,338 older adults (aged 56+) over approximately 19 years, reveals that excessive daytime napping is linked to a higher risk of all-cause mortality, with each additional hour of napping associated with a 13% increased risk of death and each extra nap per day increasing mortality risk by 7%. This research, which utilized wrist activity monitors for objective measurement, found that morning naps posed the greatest risk, carrying a 30% higher mortality risk compared to afternoon naps, suggesting that changes in napping patterns could serve as an early clinical indicator of declining health and underlying conditions, potentially allowing physicians to monitor patients and identify health issues sooner.

A US study published in JAMA Network Open, analyzing data from 1,338 older adults (aged 56+) over approximately 19 years, reveals that excessive daytime napping is linked to a higher risk of all-cause mortality, with each additional hour of napping associated with a 13% increased risk of death and each extra nap per day increasing mortality risk by 7%. This research, which utilized wrist activity monitors for objective measurement, found that morning naps posed the greatest risk, carrying a 30% higher mortality risk compared to afternoon naps, suggesting that changes in napping patterns could serve as an early clinical indicator of declining health and underlying conditions, potentially allowing physicians to monitor patients and identify health issues sooner.

Excessive daytime napping in older adults may be a warning sign of declining health and a higher risk of all-cause mortality, according to a US study published in JAMA Network Open.

Frequent napping among older adults has previously been associated with an increased risk of neurodegenerative disorders, cardiovascular disease and higher morbidity rates. However, many earlier studies relied on self-reported napping habits.

“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,” the lead researcher said.

Researchers analysed up to 19 years of data from 1,338 adults aged 56 years and older. The participants, 76 per cent female, wore wrist activity monitors for approximately 10 days to measure their sleep and napping patterns.

Nearly all participants (99 per cent) took naps, which were defined as periods of sleep occurring between 9 am and 7 pm.

Over an average follow-up period of 8.3 years, 926 (69 per cent ) participants died.

The analysis found that each additional hour of daytime napping was associated with a 13 per cent higher risk of death. In addition, each extra nap per day increased mortality risk by 7 per cent.

Morning naps appeared to carry the greatest risk. Participants who napped in the morning had a 30 per cent higher risk of death compared with those who napped in the afternoon.

The findings suggest that daytime napping patterns may serve as an important clinical indicator of underlying health problems. Researchers say physicians could potentially use changes in napping behaviour to monitor patients’ health and identify early signs of decline.

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