2026-04-21 13:07:13

Some types of naps could increase a person’s death risk.

Researchers have identified three types of daytime snoozing linked to a higher risk of early death – long naps, frequent naps, and morning naps.

The study, by Mass General Brigham, tracked 1,338 older adults for up to 19 years using wearable sleep monitors.

It found those who napped earlier in the day – between 9am and 1pm – faced a 30 per cent higher risk of death compared to afternoon nappers.

Meanwhile, each additional hour of daytime sleep increased mortality risk by 13 per cent, while every extra nap raised the risk by seven per cent.

Lead author Chenlu Gao said: “Excessive napping later in life has been linked to neurodegeneration, cardiovascular diseases and even greater morbidity.

“Many of those findings rely on self-reported napping habits and leave out metrics like when and how regular those naps are.

“Our study is one of the first to show an association between objectively measured nap patterns and mortality, and suggests there is immense clinical value in tracking napping patterns to catch health conditions early.”

Experts stress that the naps themselves are unlikely to be the direct cause.

Instead, they may signal underlying health issues.

Researchers wrote: “Our findings suggest that excessive napping may be an early marker of underlying health conditions, which ultimately lead to increased mortality if not managed.”

Conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, chronic pain and dementia could all be behind increased daytime sleepiness.

Sleep disorders may also play a role.

The team added: “Excessive daytime sleepiness may be caused by underlying sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnoea.”

The condition disrupts breathing during sleep and has been linked to high blood pressure, stroke and heart disease.

Inflammation in the body may also connect frequent napping to poorer health outcomes.

However, scientists are keen to stress the findings show a link – not cause and effect.

Dr Gao said: “It is important to note that this is correlation not causation.”

She added tracking nap patterns could help doctors spot health problems earlier.

So while the occasional nap can be refreshing, experts say persistent daytime dozing may be worth a closer look.

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