Latest news with #napping
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Afternoon napping could have surprising impact on longevity, study suggests
A new study linking daytime napping to increased mortality rates in older adults may have some rethinking that midday snooze. The study, presented last month at SLEEP 2025, the 39th annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies in Seattle, Washington, found that frequent, longer and irregular daytime naps — especially in the early afternoon — were linked to a higher risk of death over an eight-year period. "Our study fills a gap in knowledge," lead author Chenlu Gao, a postdoctoral research fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, told Fox News Digital. Study Reveals Exercising Every Day May Not Be Necessary: 'Better Than None' The research shows "not just whether someone naps, but how long, how variable, and when they nap during the day may be meaningful indicators of future health risk," he said. The study included 86,565 participants averaging 63 years of age — all of whom worked regular daytime schedules — who were monitored by actigraphy, which detects movement during sleep but not brain activity. Read On The Fox News App Scientists defined daytime napping as sleeping between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. After the initial study, researchers kept tabs on the participants for eight years and discovered that 5,189 (6.0%) of them died during that time period. Most Americans Hit The Snooze Button Every Morning — Here's Why It Could Be Bad For Your Health The research showed that taking longer naps — and napping between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. or between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. — was associated with a higher mortality rate. Results were adjusted for other potential factors influencing mortality, like demographics, weight, smoking, alcohol consumption and nighttime sleep duration, the researchers stated. "Naps are not necessarily problematic unless they are used to compensate for chronically poor sleep at night," Dr. Chelsie Rohrscheib, a neuroscientist and sleep specialist at Wesper in New York, told Fox News Digital. "Getting seven to nine hours of good quality sleep is required to maintain health and reduce the risk of developing dangerous medical conditions like heart disease and diabetes," added Rohrscheib, who was not involved in the study. The study did not establish proof that naps directly affect the risk of death. "These are associations," Gao told Fox News Digital. "We cannot conclude from this study whether napping causes poor health." Most Sleep-deprived Cities In Us Revealed In Report: Where Does Yours Rank? In another potential limitation, because the study relied on detecting movement but not brain activity, "quiet wakefulness" may have been misclassified as sleep. Additionally, defining daytime napping as sleep between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. could have mistakenly included participants' actual sleep, affecting the accuracy of what would count as a nap, the researchers stated. Excessive napping could also be a marker of other health issues, such as chronic disease, systemic inflammation, or disruptions to circadian rhythms, which may themselves increase mortality risk. "Someone who requires daily naps to get through the day is likely not getting sufficient sleep during the night, or has an underlying health condition that causes daytime sleepiness," Rohrscheib noted. Gao added, "We need more research to understand the causal relationships before we can conclude that a certain type of napping pattern would benefit health." "However, we suggest that monitoring napping patterns might help us identify health conditions early, so that we can implement interventions accordingly." The American Academy of Sleep Medicine encourages healthy adults to limit naps to no longer than 20 to 30 minutes in the early afternoon. Click Here To Sign Up For Our Health Newsletter While a brief "power nap" can improve daytime alertness and performance, naps of 30 minutes or longer may cause a person to feel groggy after waking up. This grogginess, or "sleep inertia," can delay the short-term benefits of a nap, experts say. For more Health articles, visit Overall, the findings suggest that when it comes to mid-day snoozing, moderation is key — and that napping patterns could be a window into broader health concerns worth discussing with a medical article source: Afternoon napping could have surprising impact on longevity, study suggests
Fox News
a day ago
- Health
- Fox News
Afternoon napping could have surprising impact on longevity, study suggests
A new study linking daytime napping to increased mortality rates in older adults may have some rethinking that midday snooze. The study, presented last month at SLEEP 2025, the 39th annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies in Seattle, Washington, found that frequent, longer and irregular daytime naps — especially in the early afternoon — were linked to a higher risk of death over an eight-year period. "Our study fills a gap in knowledge," lead author Chenlu Gao, a postdoctoral research fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, told Fox News Digital. The research shows "not just whether someone naps, but how long, how variable, and when they nap during the day may be meaningful indicators of future health risk," he said. The study included 86,565 participants averaging 63 years of age — all of whom worked regular daytime schedules — who were monitored by actigraphy, which detects movement during sleep but not brain activity. Scientists defined daytime napping as sleeping between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. After the initial study, researchers kept tabs on the participants for eight years and discovered that 5,189 (6.0%) of them died during that time period. The research showed that taking longer naps — and napping between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. or between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. — was associated with a higher mortality rate. Results were adjusted for other potential factors influencing mortality, like demographics, weight, smoking, alcohol consumption and nighttime sleep duration, the researchers stated. "Naps are not necessarily problematic unless they are used to compensate for chronically poor sleep at night," Dr. Chelsie Rohrscheib, a neuroscientist and sleep specialist at Wesper in New York, told Fox News Digital. "Getting seven to nine hours of good quality sleep is required to maintain health and reduce the risk of developing dangerous medical conditions like heart disease and diabetes," added Rohrscheib, who was not involved in the study. "Naps are not necessarily problematic unless they are used to compensate for chronically poor sleep at night." The study did not establish proof that naps directly affect the risk of death. "These are associations," Gao told Fox News Digital. "We cannot conclude from this study whether napping causes poor health." In another potential limitation, because the study relied on detecting movement but not brain activity, "quiet wakefulness" may have been misclassified as sleep. Additionally, defining daytime napping as sleep between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. could have mistakenly included participants' actual sleep, affecting the accuracy of what would count as a nap, the researchers stated. Excessive napping could also be a marker of other health issues, such as chronic disease, systemic inflammation, or disruptions to circadian rhythms, which may themselves increase mortality risk. "Someone who requires daily naps to get through the day is likely not getting sufficient sleep during the night, or has an underlying health condition that causes daytime sleepiness," Rohrscheib noted. Gao added, "We need more research to understand the causal relationships before we can conclude that a certain type of napping pattern would benefit health." "However, we suggest that monitoring napping patterns might help us identify health conditions early, so that we can implement interventions accordingly." The American Academy of Sleep Medicine encourages healthy adults to limit naps to no longer than 20 to 30 minutes in the early afternoon. While a brief "power nap" can improve daytime alertness and performance, naps of 30 minutes or longer may cause a person to feel groggy after waking up. This grogginess, or "sleep inertia," can delay the short-term benefits of a nap, experts say. For more Health articles, visit Overall, the findings suggest that when it comes to mid-day snoozing, moderation is key — and that napping patterns could be a window into broader health concerns worth discussing with a medical provider.
News.com.au
5 days ago
- Health
- News.com.au
Cheeky 12pm habit Aussies need to stop
A recent study has shown that napping during certain hours of the day could be associated with an increased risk of death. According to the research published in the journal Sleep, data from wearable activity trackers showed that nap duration and timing were related to increased all-cause mortality among middle-aged and older adults. Specifically, naps taken around the middle of the day were linked to a higher risk of death. This development brings scientists closer to understanding whether certain napping habits should raise concerns about a person's health. 'Our study fills a gap in knowledge by showing that not just whether someone naps, but how long, how variable, and when they nap during the day may be meaningful indicators of future health risk,' said lead study author Chenlu Gao, PhD, a postdoctoral research fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, told Health. 'Past studies have relied on self-reported nap habits, which are subject to recall bias.' Study links naps with mortality According to Mrs Gao, numerous studies have explored the link between night-time sleep and mortality. However, she and her colleagues have 'long been interested in understanding daytime napping and its impact on health'. 'We saw a critical need to investigate whether objectively assessed napping behaviours are associated with longevity,' she explained. The team analysed data from 86,565 non-shift working adults, aged 43 to 79 (with an average of 63), who were part of the UK Biobank, a comprehensive biomedical database. Fifty-seven per cent of these participants were women. They wore a device that tracked their rest and activity levels for seven days, with napping defined as any sleep occurring between 9am and 7pm. During the 11-year follow-up period, 5819 of the study participants had died. Researchers identified a higher risk of death associated with three factors: longer naps, greater day-to-day variability in nap length, and more naps around noon and early afternoon. These associations remained true even after adjusting for factors such as body mass index, alcohol consumption, smoking habits, and overnight sleep duration. While the study established a correlation between different napping habits and mortality, it is crucial to note that it did not prove that napping causes an increased risk of death. It is also uncertain whether these findings apply to the general population. Why might napping be linked to mortality? Currently, as there is no definitive evidence that naps directly cause increased mortality, sleep experts are examining the research for clues — and some suggest that the underlying reasons for napping may be more relevant. Sleep disorders such as sleep apnoea or medical conditions that drain energy, like heart disease, could actually be the underlying cause of the nap-mortality connection. The study did attempt to account for lifestyle factors, but it remains difficult to control for undiagnosed medical conditions. Other experts propose that long, irregular midday naps could influence health by disrupting circadian rhythms, which are the body's internal sleep-wake cycles. This disruption could affect various factors that influence mortality, such as inflammation, metabolism, and cardiovascular health. Should we nap? If you feel the need to nap, experts recommend aiming for less than 30 minutes, as this allows you to feel refreshed and energised without experiencing grogginess. Napping earlier in the day can also help prevent your nap from interfering with your ability to sleep at night. If you find yourself napping more frequently or for longer periods, you should consult your doctor.
Medical News Today
25-06-2025
- Health
- Medical News Today
What might your napping habits say about your health?
Sleep quality and duration is closely linked to physical and mental should aim to get 7–9 hours' sleep a night, which can be a challenge, particularly as we get compensate, many people nap during the day, but new research suggests that this may not be beneficial.A study has found a link between daytime napping and increased risk of all-cause mortality in middle-aged and older researchers suggest that napping may be an indicator of underlying health issues, rather than directly causing mortality, although their observational study cannot prove Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that adults get between 7 and 9 hours of sleep a night to maintain physical and mental sufficient sleep can lower a person's risk of developing a number of health conditions, including type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and people age, getting a good night's sleep can become more difficult, leading to daytime napping to make up for lost night time slumbers. However, a new study in middle-aged and older adults suggests that daytime napping, particularly around the middle of the day, is linked to a higher risk of death from any study, which was presented at Sleep 2025 — the 39th Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS), held in Seattle, WA, between June 8–11 — cannot prove a causative link but suggests that further research is needed into links between daytime napping and abstract of the study is available in Sleep, the journal of the Sleep Research Society, though its full results are yet to be published in a peer-reviewed MacSweeney, MD, CEO and consultant neuroradiologist at Re:Cognition Health, who was not involved in this study, told Medical News Today that:'These findings are significant because they suggest that daytime napping patterns could serve as early markers of declining health or disrupted sleep architecture in older adults. While previous research has focused on nighttime sleep duration and quality, this study expands the scope by identifying the timing, length and variability of naps as potential indicators of all-cause mortality risk. […] the findings underscore the importance of viewing sleep as a 24-hour cycle, where daytime behaviours are just as telling as those during the night.'When and how long you nap is linked to death riskThe study used data from 86,565 participants in the UK Biobank. At the start, participants had a mean age of 63 years, 57% were female, and none had a history of shift participants completed 7 days of actigraphy monitoring — continuous wearing of a wristwatch-like device that tracks activity to monitor sleeping and waking times. The researchers used this data to identify frequency, timing and duration of daytime recorded mean nap duration between 9 am and 7 pm, variability in nap duration for each individual across days, and timing of naps within the 2-hour time windows of 9–11 am, 11 am–1 pm, 1–3 pm, 3–5 pm, and 5–7 adjusting for demographics, body mass index (BMI), smoking, alcohol consumption, comorbidities, nighttime sleep duration, and chronotype, the researchers assessed associations between napping patterns and all-cause mortality during the 8-year nap duration for all participants was 0.40 hours, with a variation in nap length of 0.39 hours for each individual. People took the most naps between 9 and 11 am (34%), with 10% between 11 and 1, 14% between 1 and 3 pm, 19% between 3 and 5 pm, and 22% between 5 and 7 pm. During the 8-year follow-up, 2,950 participants died (3.4% of the total). For those who died, mean survival from the start was 4.19 researchers found that those who died during follow up took longer naps, had more variation in their nap times, and were more likely to nap between 11 am and 3 commented that: 'This study is a reminder that napping is not inherently negative, but changes in napping behaviour, particularly longer and irregular naps, can signal evolving health concerns. It reinforces the need for clinicians to ask about daytime sleep as part of a routine assessment, especially in older adults.''It also opens the door to further research into the neurobiological and physiological changes that may link daytime sleep patterns to mortality, particularly in relation to early-stage dementia, inflammation, or metabolic instability,' she told might napping habits be linked to mortality?Previous research has suggested that short daytime naps may be beneficial to health, potentially lowering systolic blood pressure, but long daytime naps are associated with higher BMI, waist circumference, blood glucose and blood recent study suggests that excessive daytime napping is linked to a higher risk of these, as well as the latest study, are observational, so cannot show a causative Kelley, MD, JD, triple-board-certified in Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery (ENT), Obesity Medicine, and Lifestyle Medicine, and co-founder and CEO of Side Health, who was not involved in the current research, agreed that the study cannot establish explained why there might be an association between daytime naps and higher mortality:'This may be because individuals with higher comorbid conditions are more likely to experience lower energy levels during the day or require naps. Alternatively, naps may be more frequently needed for those who are not getting enough sleep at night, which can lead to an increase in co-morbid conditions. Further research will be necessary to identify stronger associations between sleep and mortality.'MacSweeney agreed, noting that, '[g]iven the observational design of the study, it is more plausible that excessive or irregular napping is a symptom rather than a cause of underlying health conditions.''In this context,' she told us, 'excessive napping likely functions as a clinical red flag rather than a direct contributor to mortality.'7 expert tips to improve nighttime sleepThere are several measures you can take to try and get a better night's sleep, so that you are less likely to need those daytime recommended the following evidence-based strategies:establishing a consistent sleep schedule, even on weekendslimiting caffeine and alcohol, especially in the eveningcreating a calming bedtime routine, free from screens and overstimulationincreasing daytime exposure to natural light to strengthen circadian rhythmsmanaging medical conditions such as pain, heart failure or respiratory issues that may disrupt sleeptreating underlying sleep disorders like sleep apnea or restless legs syndromeexercising regularly, but avoiding vigorous activity close to cautioned that, '[i]f excessive sleepiness persists despite good sleep hygiene, a clinical sleep assessment is recommended.''[The new] study is essential to remind medical workers to ask patients and caretakers about individuals' sleep and their quality of sleep. Establishing good sleep habits may help you maintain healthier, longer sleep.'– Kanwar Kelley, MD, JD
Daily Mail
20-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Doctors issue warning as common sleep habit is linked to risk of early death in major study
Daytime napping may be linked to a higher risk of early death, according to a major new study. The discovery was made by researchers who tracking the sleep habits of more than 86,000 healthy middle-aged adults. They found that those who regularly napped—particularly in the early afternoon—were more likely to die prematurely than those who did not. The study, presented at the SLEEP 2025 conference, found the risk of death rose by up to 20 per cent among frequent nappers. Experts say daytime sleepiness may be a warning sign of disrupted or poor-quality night-time rest, and could point to underlying health problems such as sleep disorders, dementia, or heart failure. Professor James Rowley, from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, who was not involved in the research, said the findings should influence how doctors ask patients about sleep. 'The major take-home message is that if a doctor asks about a patient's sleep habits, they should also be asking about napping,' he told Medscape Medical News. 'In other words, doctors should be asking their patients, 'Do you nap in the day?' The study focused on middle-aged adults who did not work night shifts and had no major health problems at the outset. This helped to rule out other explanations for excessive daytime sleepiness and suggesting that the link with earlier death may not simply be due to existing illness or lifestyle factors. The participant's sleep was assessed over a week-long period, using actigraphy—a method for monitoring a person's sleep-wake patterns using a small, watch-like device called an actigraph. Daytime napping was defined as sleep between 9am and 7pm. On average, participants napped for around 24 minutes, with approximately a third of naps taken in the morning, between 9 and 11am. During a follow-up period of 11 years, 5,189 of the participants died and overall, researchers noted that as people got older, they slept for longer later in the day. After adjusting for potentially confounding lifestyle factors such as smoking, alcohol use and nighttime sleep duration, results showed that a less consistent napping routine was associated with a 14 per cent increased risk of mortality. Scientists found the highest risk of death was seen in people who slept for the longest during the day, with people who nap between 11am and 1pm experiencing a seven per cent increased risk. Lead researcher, Professor Chenlu Gao, from Harvard Medical School, said: 'Our study fills a gap in knowledge by showing that it's not just whether someone naps but how long, how variable, and when they nap may be meaningful indicators of future health risk. 'While many studies have examined the links between sleep and mortality, they have largely focused on nighttime sleep. 'However, napping is an important component of the 24-hour-sleep-wake cycle and may carry its own health implications. 'Our findings suggest that certain patterns of napping could serve as early indications of declining health.' The researchers warned that further research is needed to better understand the biological pathways underlying these associations. They noted that longer or more irregular naps could reflect underlying health problems such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, depression and dementia. Other studies suggest the explanation may lie with the impact on our circadian rhythms—the natural sleep-wake cycles that determine a host of bodily functions. The experts, from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, also argued that being asleep during the daytime could impact the brain's ability to clear waste that builds up during the day. The findings come after a landmark study last year suggested almost half of all cases of Alzheimer's disease—the most common cause of dementia—could be prevented by tackling 14 lifestyle factors. These included hearing loss, high cholesterol, vision loss and lack of exercise. Experts claimed the study, published in the prestigious journal The Lancet, provided more hope than 'ever before' that the disorder that blights the lives of millions can be prevented. Alzheimer's Disease affects 982,000 people in the UK. Alzheimer's Research UK analysis found 74,261 people died from dementia in 2022 compared with 69,178 a year earlier, making it the country's biggest killer. One 2019 estimate put the annual death toll at 70,000 people a year with the health issues caused costing the NHS £700million each year to treat. The WHO puts the annual global death toll from physical inactivity at around 2million per year, making it in the running to be among the top 10 leading causes of global death and disability.
