Daytime Naps May Signal Health Risks, Study on Longevity Suggests

A recent study presented at SLEEP 2025 in Seattle has raised eyebrows about the seemingly innocent habit of daytime napping. Frequent, lengthy, or irregular naps, particularly in the early afternoon, may be linked to a higher risk of mortality in older adults, according to research involving over 86,000 participants with an average age of 63. Over eight years, the study tracked participants using actigraphy to monitor movement and found that 6% of them passed away during this period.

Not all naps are created equal. The data suggests that longer naps, especially those taken between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., correlate with increased mortality risk. While the study adjusted for factors like age, weight, smoking, alcohol use, and nighttime sleep, it stopped short of proving naps directly cause health issues. As lead researcher Chenlu Gao noted, these are associations, not causations, but they still merit attention.

Experts like Dr. Chelsie Rohrscheib, a sleep specialist, emphasized that naps themselves aren’t inherently harmful unless they’re compensating for poor nighttime sleep. Adults need seven to nine hours of quality sleep nightly to ward off conditions like heart disease or diabetes. Excessive napping could signal underlying health problems, such as chronic illness or disrupted circadian rhythms, which may contribute to higher mortality.

A word of caution: the study’s reliance on movement-based tracking might have misclassified moments of 'quiet wakefulness' as naps, and its broad definition of daytime sleep (9 a.m. to 7 p.m.) could muddy the waters. Still, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends keeping naps short—20 to 30 minutes in the early afternoon—to avoid grogginess and maximize alertness.

The takeaway? That midday snooze might be more than a quick recharge. It could be a clue to broader health concerns worth discussing with a doctor. Moderation, as always, seems to be the golden rule.