Napping Every Day Linked to Lower Life Expectancy, According to Surprising New Research

Key Takeaways

• A long-term study of 1,338 older adults found that each additional hour of daytime napping per day was associated with a 13% higher risk of mortality, with morning napping carrying the greatest risk.

• The link between napping and mortality is a correlation, not a causation—chronic conditions like diabetes and thyroid issues can independently increase both daytime fatigue and mortality risk, which the study did not account for.

• Researchers believe tracking napping patterns with wearable devices could become a useful clinical tool for catching health conditions early and preventing further decline.

Some days, nothing feels better than an afternoon nap . But according to a recent study conducted by Mass General Brigham and Rush University Medical Center and published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), those daily naps could be negatively impacting your health—and even your lifespan. The study examined a cohort of 1,338 adults aged 56 years and older for up to 19 years, finding that frequent daytime naps were associated with all-cause mortality, regardless of nap duration. Read on to learn more about how napping and mortality are connected, along with other factors to consider.

The Link Between Napping and Mortality

According to data from the Rush Memory and Aging Project, which began in 1997, between 20% and 60% of older adults take naps every day as a means to boost alertness and energy . However, what they found was an increased risk of neurodegeneration, cardiovascular disease, and serious illness for older adults who engaged in excessive napping—even when they felt well-rested.

The study's findings become even clearer when you look at how napping was tracked and categorized. Researchers first defined a timeframe for "daytime napping," which involved any sleep episode from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m, with variability in nap duration and frequency taken into account. Participants were then categorized into two different nap windows: early afternoon (between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m.) and late afternoon (between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.). Each additional hour of napping per day was associated with a 13% higher risk of mortality, with each extra nap per day increasing mortality risk by 7%. Additionally, morning nappers had a 30% higher risk of mortality compared to afternoon nappers. 

"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," says Chenlu Gao, PhD, investigator in the Department of Anesthesiology at Mass General Brigham and lead author of the study. "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." Gao also emphasizes the link between napping and mortality as a correlation, not a causation.

Additional Factors to Consider

It's worth noting that there may be confounding variables that affect both napping and mortality. For example, chronic conditions—such as thyroid issues, diabetes, and mental health disorders—can increase daytime fatigue, making afternoon naps even more tempting. The study did not account for which participants had these conditions; this is a notable limitation, since chronic conditions may independently increase both daytime fatigue and mortality risk.

Researchers also flagged cardiovascular system-related problems as another cause of daytime fatigue, explaining how napping can result from sleep disruption or circadian misalignment. In turn, this can lead to additional inflammatory conditions such as increased blood pressure. This systemic inflammation, which has previously been linked to daytime sleeping, may also influence mortality. So don't cancel naptime just yet—more research is needed to explore how napping affects our health.

Read the original article on Real Simple