[noscript_1]
Some swear by their regenerative power – but now, scientists are warning that when and how often you nap could reveal your risk of an early death.
In a new study, researchers at Harvard analyzed data on people who regularly nap or sleep between 9am and 7pm.
They tracked about 1,400 adults aged 56 years and over for up to two decades. Over that period, 926 participants – about two-thirds – died.
Overall, the scientists found that each additional hour of napping per day raised the risk of death by 13 percent, while every extra nap per day raised the risk by seven percent.
Timing also had an impact. Compared to those who napped in the afternoon, those who napped in the morning – when people are usually alert – had a 30 percent higher risk of death.
Naps themselves were not causing the deaths, but the scientists said they could be a warning sign of an underlying condition that may be disrupting sleep and raising the risk of death.
Previous research already showed that disrupted sleep raises the risk of inflammation and weight gain in the body, which could cause lifespan-limiting chronic conditions.
Frequent daytime naps have also been linked to heart disease, which raises the risk of a heart attack or stroke, and neurodegenerative disorders, which gradually rob sufferers of vital bodily functions.
Scientists have revealed that how long and when you nap could reveal your risk of death
Morning naps are particularly concerning, doctors say, because they suggest sleepiness when someone is meant to be most alert.
In the paper, the scientists wrote: ‘Our study yielded novel insights that early-day naps (when healthy individuals are typically alert) may reflect more underlying health issues.
‘Sleep disruption… which may manifest as excessive napping, can lead to increased blood pressure and [nervous system] activation.
‘These changes… may create a proinflammatory and [heightened heart disease risk] state that elevates the risk for fatal events.’
They added: ‘Daytime napping may not merely be a compensatory response to nocturnal sleep disruption but may serve as an independent marker for mortality risk.’
In the paper, published in JAMA Network Open, 76 percent of participants were female, and 93 percent had a native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander ethnicity.
Nearly all said they took naps daily. Fifteen percent of participants said they needed help with basic activities, while 74 percent said they were on medications to ease high blood pressure.
At the start of the study, which was carried out in northern Illinois, participants wore a tracking device for nine days that measured the number, duration and time of their daytime naps.
They were then tracked for about a decade on average, with results used to calculate the risk of death.
The paper did not provide information on what the participants died from.
The study was also observational and could not definitively prove that when and how often someone naps raises their risk of death.
Between 20 and 60 percent of older adults nap during the day, estimates suggest.
The science is not settled, however, on whether these help to boost someone’s daily energy or raise the risk of an early death.
Some papers have warned that napping regularly can raise the risk of death by up to 44 percent, but others have found no such link.
