Longer, More Frequent Daytime Napping Linked to All-Cause Mortality in Seniors

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By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, Senior Medical Editor, B. Pharm. Last updated on April 22, 2026.

via HealthDay

TUESDAY, April 21, 2026 -- For older adults, longer and more frequent daytime napping is associated with higher all-cause mortality, according to a study published online April 20 in JAMA Network Open.

Chenlu Gao, Ph.D., from Mass General Brigham and Harvard Medical School in Boston, and colleagues conducted a prospective cohort study using data from the population-based Rush Memory and Aging Project involving community-dwelling adults aged 56 years or older in northern Illinois with up to 19 years of follow-up to examine whether actigraphy-measured daytime nap characteristics are associated with all-cause mortality.

The researchers found that 926 (69.2 percent) of 1,338 participants died at a mean of 7.54 years after analytic baseline. Associations were seen for longer daytime nap duration (adjusted hazard ratio [AHR] per one-hour increase, 1.13) and higher nap frequency at baseline (AHR per additional daily nap, 1.07) with increased mortality, after adjustment for all covariates. Higher mortality risk was seen for morning versus early afternoon nappers (AHR, 1.30). After adjustment for covariates, variability in daytime nap duration was not associated with mortality.

"Our findings suggest that wearable nap metrics can help identify high-risk individuals and serve as potential targets for rehabilitative or management programs aimed at improving sleep health and longevity in older adults," the authors write.

Two authors disclosed ties to iFutureLabs.

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Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

Source: HealthDay

Posted : 2026-04-22 09:08

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