Midday nap comes with risks

Napping during the day could raise the risk of mortality. The results of the study were presented at SLEEP 2025.

In an abstract published in Sleep, investigators examined the outcomes of more than 86,000 individuals aged 43 to 79 years who were asked to wear activity monitors for a period of seven days to track nap duration and variability.

After a follow-up of eight years, the investigators found that longer and more irregular naps taken during the daytime were associated with a greater risk of all-cause mortality. Further, naps taken between 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. resulted in a higher rate of all-cause mortality compared with those taken earlier or later in the day.

Because the investigators didn’t identify the causes of death, more studies may be needed to better understand how napping may contribute to adverse outcomes.

Read more: Sleep

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