Excessive daytime napping, particularly in the morning, may signal serious health issues in older adults, according to new research published in JAMA Network Open. Scientists from Mass General Brigham in Boston tracked over 1,300 elderly participants for up to 19 years, using wrist-mounted activity trackers to monitor sleep patterns.
The study found that longer, more frequent, and morning naps were associated with increased mortality risk. Each additional hour of daytime napping per day corresponded to roughly a 13% greater risk, while each extra nap per day was linked to a 7% higher risk. Morning nappers faced a 30% elevated risk compared to those who napped in the afternoon.
Lead researcher Dr Chenlu Gao emphasised that the findings show correlation, not causation. 'Excessive napping is likely indicating underlying disease, chronic conditions, sleep disturbances, or circadian dysregulation,' she said. The study suggests that tracking napping patterns could help detect health problems early.
Earlier research has linked frequent daytime sleeping in older adults to neurodegeneration and cardiovascular diseases, but this study is one of the first to use objective measurements. Irregular napping patterns showed no association with increased mortality.
