Morning Naps Linked to Higher Mortality in Older Adults, Study Finds
A 19-year prospective study of 1,338 older adults using wrist actigraphy found that longer daytime napping, higher nap frequency, and morning naps are associated with higher all-cause mortality, while irregular nap patterns were not. Each additional hour of daytime napping was linked to about a 13% increase in mortality risk, and each extra nap per day to about 7%; morning nappers had about 30% higher risk than afternoon nappers. The findings, which researchers say highlight the clinical value of wearable daytime-nap assessments, do not prove causation but suggest that shifting sleep patterns may reflect underlying neurodegenerative or cardiovascular processes, enabling early risk identification.