The Hidden Risks of Daytime Napping: Here's The Eye Opening Science:

You might want to skip that daytime power-nap.

Why?

Well, some major recent studies have found that regular daytime napping is associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality. For example, this impressive study:

".. a British population-based cohort study. [found that] Among the 16,374 men and women who answered questions on napping habits between 1998 and 2000, a total of 3,251 died during the 13-year follow-up. Daytime napping was associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality (for napping less than 1 hour per day on average, hazard ratio = 1.14, 95% confidence interval: 1.02, 1.27; for napping 1 hour or longer per day on average, hazard ratio = 1.32, 95% confidence interval: 1.04, 1.68), independent of age, sex, social class, educational level, marital status, employment status, body mass index, physical activity level, smoking status, alcohol intake, depression, self-reported general health, use of hypnotic drugs or other medications, time spent in bed at night, and presence of preexisting health conditions. This association was more pronounced for death from respiratory diseases.

Not only that, a more recent 2015 meta-analytic study involving just over 130,000 people also concluded that "Daytime napping is a predictor of increased all-cause mortality".

But it turns out that napping too long, too early in the day, and too frequently might be the real culprit here. Frequent naps of, say, 45 minutes to an hour or more are linked to the highest adverse health effects.

And the need to take longer daytime naps is an essential indicator of poor sleep quality.

For example, although a 2017 meta-analysis of:

"Ten studies (four cross-sectional and six longitudinal cohort) comprising a total of 304,885 individuals and 20,857 cases of DM [diabetes myelitis] were included in the systematic review, with an average napping prevalence of 47%. Nappers were found to have increased risk of DM in both cross-sectional and cohort studies. However, significant heterogeneity was present. Long nap (≥1 h/day) was associated with both prevalent and incident DM; in particular, those with a daily nap over 1 h had a 31% increased risk of developing DM during follow-up (95% confidence interval: 2-67%). Conversely, no such association was found in individuals with short naps (<1 h/day) in cohort studies."

That said, it is true that there this clear evidence supporting the idea that daytime naps can significantly improve cognitive performance and productivity levels.

For instance, a 2021 meta-analysis concluded that Daytime napping in the afternoon improved cognitive performance, with the most beneficial effects found in earlier napping. 

This short-term cognition and productivity boost from napping may well come at the expense of long-term negative health consequences, especially if more extended napping becomes a daily habit.

Sure, it could be that long, regular daytime naps have been masking underlying sleep disorders. But if you're getting the minimum required high-quality sleep most nights, you probably don't need a power nap anyway, right?   

At this point, I strongly advise that people reserve napping for those times when they need them, for example, when highly exhausted due to poor sleep the night before, including for on-the-job safety reasons.

When you need a power nap, it should be kept short, under 40 minutes, and as early in the day as possible so as not to interfere with your nighttime sleep quality.

And if you "need" a longer nap every day, - please get to a qualified medical professional immediately. 

Why? 

One night of poor sleep can negatively affect your physical and psychological health. 

So how long should you sleep each night for optimal health and well-being?

The gold standard recommendation is 7 hours of actual high-quality sleep most nights.

And this recommendation seems to be strongly rooted in this massive 2016 meta-analysis involving a reported 2,430,336 participants, which recommended: "that 7 hours/day of sleep duration should be recommended to prevent premature death among adults."

Hope that helps!  - Click Here for Online Coaching 

Your Coach David is a former Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapist and Clinical Behavior Consultant turned Certified Stress Management & Sleep Science Coach. He's also an International Sports Science Association (ISSA) Certified Personal Fitness Trainer and Nutritionist.