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A study claims to have found a connection between certain types of naps and mortality.

Specifically, the study says that late afternoon naps and irregular nap patterns may be linked to higher risk factors for death in seniors and older adults.

A sleep expert explains the findings.

If you find yourself struggling to keep your eyes open as the day ticks on, you’re not alone. Plenty of people find themselves taking a power nap to boost energy and fight fatigue. However, a new study shows that napping earlier in the day, along with other factors, could be connected with a high rate of mortality in certain groups. Though the research has yet to be peer reviewed, the findings are interesting.

Meet the expert: Ashley Curtis, Ph.D., assistant professor and director of the Cognition, Aging, Sleep, and Health (CASH) Lab in the College of Nursing at the University of South Florida

Recent research published in the journal Sleep followed 86,565 participants across the United Kingdom from the UK Biobank. The ages of the volunteers ranged from 43 to 79 years, with 57% of the study participants identifying as female and 43% identifying as male. Researchers evaluated participants’ daytime napping behaviors to determine a link between daytime naps and the risk of death.

What researchers found

Researchers reviewed self-reported daytime napping behavior alongside data collected from participants via activity trackers over seven days. Their daytime sleep habits were logged, tracking nap duration, timing, and any variation from existing nap habits.

This data was cross-referenced against other factors, including chronotype (the time of day you prefer to sleep or when you’re the most alert or have the most energy), BMI (which is not always an accurate predictor of health), demographics, comorbidities, nighttime sleep habits, smoking, and alcohol consumption.

Researchers found a strong connection between nap patterns and long-term health risks, including longevity and mortality. Specifically, longer naps, increased individual variability in the lengths of daytime naps, and napping around noon and the early afternoon hours were associated with greater risk of mortality.

“These findings highlight the potential importance of considering napping behaviors in risk stratification of mortality in middle-to-older aged adults,” researchers concluded, noting the value of incorporating nap assessments into clinical and public health practices in promoting longevity.

Do certain nap patterns increase the risk of death?

While Ashley Curtis, Ph.D., assistant professor and director of the Cognition, Aging, Sleep, and Health (CASH) Lab in the College of Nursing at the University of South Florida explained that research suggests that shorter daytime naps (under 30 mins) can be associated with some health benefits for older adults, longer naps (60-plus mins) have been linked to increased risk of mortality.

As shown in this study, “Greater likelihood of napping around noon appears to have a detrimental impact on mortality risk,” Curtis said. “Further, there is emerging research showing that the variability in napping behavior over time in older adults, such as switching from short to long naps or vice versa, is also associated with increased all-cause mortality.”

Why would napping be associated with death?

There are several reasons why napping may be associated with greater risk of mortality, according to Curtis, who explains that longer daytime napping itself may be a sign of poor nighttime sleep and sleep disorders—such as insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea—which “are known to be associated with worse health trajectories and increased mortality risk if left untreated.”

Curtis explains that the fragmented sleep associated with both of these sleep disorders may disrupt circadian factors and affect daytime alertness, thus leading older adults to nap more easily during the day.

“There is also a reciprocal relationship between napping and worse health outcomes and mortality,” she continues, adding that certain nap patterns in older adults have long been associated with the increased chronic low-grade inflammation that plays a role in various other medical conditions linked to worse health outcomes and longevity, “such as obesity, diabetes, stroke, hypertension, and osteoporosis.”

It’s more than just the fact that napping may be an indicator of an increased risk for death, Curtis reiterates, but changes in existing nap patterns as well. “These metrics, in combination with worse nighttime sleep (such as shorter total sleep time), may predict worse mortality outcomes.”

Can the connection between napping and death be broken?

Curtis showing that the mortality risk associated with longer daytime napping in older adults may be lowered by certain lifestyle factors such as physical activity. “That is, specifically meeting the recommended weekly dosage of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (150 minutes of moderate intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity) can weaken the association between napping and mortality risk,” she continues. “Such physical activities for older adults could include fast walking or jogging, dancing, swimming, or hiking.”

The bottom line

Curtis adds that the relationship between napping and mortality may be more nuanced in older adults and depend on sex differences in the prevalence of sleep disorders. “At least one study has shown that in older men, those who slept less than six hours and napped more than 30 minutes during the day had a higher risk of mortality,” she explains, noting that the same pattern wasn’t found in women.

Additionally, Curtis says that when compared to older women, older men have higher rates of frequent nighttime urination and obstructive sleep apnea, both of which are linked to greater daytime sleepiness.

“The longer napping and increased mortality relationship findings in older adults are largely consistent. However, the exact mechanisms underlying this relationship have not been fully determined,” Curtis says. “The napping and mortality relationship is complex and may be influenced by adverse or protective lifestyle factors (e.g., nutrition, physical activity, substance use), nighttime sleep patterns, and underlying sleep disorders, medical comorbidities, age, as well as sex and gender-related factors.”

While more research is needed in this area, this study offers hope in identifying some early predictors of increased mortality and new clinical approaches for promoting longevity.