Day-Time Napping Could be Shortening Your Life - New Studies Suggest

 

Actually, you might want to skip that daytime nap…

Why?

Some recent critical studies have found that regular daytime napping is linked with an increased risk of all-cause mortality. For example:

".. a British population-based cohort study. 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 that "Daytime napping is a predictor of increased all-cause mortality".

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

And the need to take longer daytime naps may be an important indicator of poor nighttime 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. Yet as the earlier mentioned studies strongly suggest, these short-term gains may come at the expense of long-term negative consequences.

As a Certified Sleep Science Coach, I strongly advise that people reserve daytime napping when they really need it, for example, when highly exhausted due to poor sleep or for 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.

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

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

This recommendation appears to originate in this massive 2016 meta-analysis involving 2,430,336 participants. The study's authors state "that 7 hours/day of sleep duration should be recommended to prevent premature death among adults".  

Are you tired of feeling exhausted (pun intended) and drained every day? 

Do you want to finally get the restful, rejuvenating sleep you need and deserve? 

As a Certified Sleep Science Coach, I can help you improve your sleep and overall health and well-being. With my online coaching services, you can get personalized support and guidance from the comfort of your own home.

To get started, simply initiate a live chat with me and we can discuss your sleep goals and how I can support you in achieving them. Don't let poor sleep continue to hold you back. Take the first step towards better sleep and a better life by chatting with me today.