While daytime naps are often seen as a harmless indulgence or even a healthy habit in some cultures, new research suggests that certain napping patterns could be linked to an increased risk of early death, especially among middle-aged and older adults.
The findings, set to be presented at the upcoming SLEEP 2025 annual meeting, are turning conventional wisdom on its head. Despite previous studies suggesting that a short nap might boost brain power and energy levels, this latest research warns that longer, irregular, or midday naps could be more harmful than helpful.
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“People who slept longer during the day, had irregular daytime sleep patterns, or slept more around midday and early afternoon were at greater risk, even after accounting for health and lifestyle factors,” said lead author Dr. Chenlu Gao from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, told Daily Mail.
The study monitored more than 86,000 adults, with an average age of 63, over a week using wearable devices similar to smartwatches to track their sleep habits. Participants were then followed for up to 11 years, during which time approximately 6 percent or 5,189 individuals died.
Researchers found that the average nap duration was about 24 minutes, but people who regularly napped longer or at inconsistent times were at a higher risk of premature death. Surprisingly, those who consistently napped between midday and early afternoon — traditionally thought to be the optimal nap window — were also at greater risk.
“This contradicts what we currently know about napping, so further research on that link could be warranted,” Dr. Gao added. To ensure accuracy, researchers adjusted for several contributing factors such as age, sex, body weight, smoking, alcohol consumption, and nighttime sleep duration. Even after those adjustments, the patterns of longer or irregular napping remained associated with increased mortality risk.
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Experts are unsure of the exact cause behind the link. Some theorize that inconsistent or prolonged naps could signal undiagnosed health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, or depression. Alternatively, irregular napping may disrupt the body’s circadian rhythms more than previously understood.
This isn’t the first study to raise concerns about adult napping. Earlier research has connected regular daytime sleep to elevated risks of diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure.
Both the NHS and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommend keeping naps short, ideally 10 to 30 minutes, and taking them before 3 p.m. to avoid grogginess and nighttime sleep disruption. Though experts caution against abandoning naps entirely, they urge more research to better understand how nap patterns impact long-term health.
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