Frequent daytime napping may signal health decline in older adults

Key Points:

• A study from Mass General Brigham found that excessive daytime napping in older adults is linked to a higher risk of mortality, with longer, more frequent, and morning naps associated with increased risk.
• The research followed 1,338 older adults for up to 19 years using wrist-worn trackers to objectively measure nap duration and timing, revealing that each additional hour of napping raised mortality risk by about 13%.
• Morning naps were linked to a roughly 30% increase in mortality risk, and each extra nap per day increased risk by approximately 7%, suggesting these patterns may signal underlying health decline.
• The study is observational and does not prove causation; limitations include a lack of data on contributing health conditions and a study population limited to older, White adults in the Midwest.
• Researchers emphasize that excessive napping likely reflects underlying disease or sleep disturbances and advocate for wearable nap assessments to help detect health issues early.