The 3 common sleep habits that increase your risk of dying young – as red flag raised over napping danger
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
YOU might think a quick kip during the day is harmless – or even healthy.
After all, in parts of the Mediterranean, daytime naps - or siestas - are seen as a good way to reboot your system during the post-lunch slump.
2
Kipping the wrong way might just shorten your life
Credit: Getty
Earlier this year, scientists from Texas, said that taking an afternoon nap can increase adults problem-solving brain power.
But now, new research from the US has flipped that idea on its head, suggesting that certain nap habits could actually raise your risk of dying young.
This isn't the first time science has raised concerns - with many experts remaining wary of the adult nap.
Previous studies have linked daytime snoozing to a higher risk of diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure.
Now, the latest findings, set to be presented at the SLEEP 2025 annual meeting in June, have identified three key reasons why naps could be so dangerous.
"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," lead author Dr Chenlu Gao, from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, said.
This was especially the case for middle-aged and older adults.
The study tracked over 86,000 adults with an average age of 63, monitoring their sleep patterns using apple-watch-like wrist devices for a full week.
They found the average daytime nap lasted about 24 minutes, but those who regularly took longer naps or had wildly varying nap lengths from day to day faced a higher risk of dying sooner.
Napping most often around midday to early afternoon was linked to greater health risks.
I spent three days at a sleep retreat - these are the top 7 things I learnt
"This contradicts what we currently know about napping, so further research on that link could be warranted," Dr Chenlu added. Since mid-afternoon is usually the time experts recommend for napping,
The participants were followed for up to 11 years, during which time 5,189 people - about 6 per cent of the group - died.
The researchers adjusted for factors like age, sex, body weight, smoking, alcohol use, and how much people slept at night to make sure the links with napping weren't simply due to those other risks.
Even after accounting for these, the patterns of longer, irregular, or midday naps still stood out as an influencing risk factor.
2
Step-by-step guide on how to have a perfect nap - and why it's so good for you
Experts aren't entirely sure why, but it could be that longer or irregular naps signal underlying health problems, or that they disrupt the body's natural rhythms more than previously thought.
Other research has shown that poor sleep patterns can sometimes be a sign of other health issues, like heart disease, diabetes, or depression.
Both the NHS and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine say keep naps short - around 10 to 30 minutes - and take them before mid-afternoon (around 3 pm).
This helps boost energy without messing up your nighttime sleep or leaving you groggy.
But you give up napping for good, the experts note that more research is needed to fully understand the risks, especially since the current study can only show links, not cause and effect.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Times
23 minutes ago
- Times
I know my public sector pension is great, but I can't afford it
M ohamed Habad has a workplace pension that millions of workers can only dream of. As a foundation doctor at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, Essex, he was automatically enrolled in the NHS pension scheme. He was contributing 9.8 per cent of his salary and his employer was paying in an enormous 23.7 per cent. So why has he opted out of this generous savings scheme — along with many more of his NHS colleagues? Habad, 28, graduated from medical school last summer but it could be nine years until he completes his training to become an orthopaedic surgeon. He pays £800 a month to rent his room in hospital accommodation, £600 to help his family cover his empty room in their London council flat, about £300 a month on groceries and £200 on gas and electricity.
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Assisted dying puts price on my head, says disabled peer Lord Kevin Shinkwin as he speaks out against the bill
A DISABLED peer said he fears he would not be alive today if assisted dying was already legal. Lord Kevin Shinkwin said the Terminally Ill Adults Bill 'puts a price on my head' and he would have felt pressure to agree to having a lethal injection over fear of being a burden. 1 The Tory's warning comes as campaigners vow to fight the assisted dying bill in the Lords after MPs narrowly backed it by just 23 votes on Friday. Lord Shinkwin, 54, is a disability rights campaigner who has a severe form of brittle bone disease. He said: 'I am a disabled person. I cost the NHS, over the course of my lifetime, probably several million pounds to keep me alive. 'This Bill would put a price on my head — on the head of so many disabled people.' Asked if he feared he would not be alive today if the assisted dying law was in force, Lord Shinkwin said: 'I think you have hit the nail on the head. "Absolutely. I was in intensive care a few months ago, and had a doctor come over to me when I was extremely vulnerable and said, 'Have you considered assisted dying?', I would have felt under real pressure to do that.' Lord Shinkwin said he and other peers will now amend the Bill so it has greater safeguards. As it is a private member's Bill and not a government initiative, some peers are vowing to try to block it altogether. ASSISTED DYING VOTE What Happens Next? - With the Commons backing the Bill, it now moves to the House of Lords for detailed debate and scrutiny. - Peers can suggest amendments, which would send the Bill back to the Commons — a process known as 'ping pong'. - But because this is a major conscience issue, the unelected Lords are unlikely to block it outright after it passed the elected House. - Supporters hope it will win final approval and receive Royal Assent by October, officially becoming law. - A four-year implementation period will follow, allowing time to establish the new system, including expert panels and regulatory safeguards.
Scottish Sun
2 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
English region where men use most Viagra revealed – where does your town rank?
NHS stats show men in the North used the little blue pills much more often than in the South last year STIFF COMPETITION English region where men use most Viagra revealed – where does your town rank? Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) FELLAS from Yorkshire need most help rising to the occasion in the bedroom, according to new figures. Chaps in the county are given the most prescriptions for Viagra or similar drugs to aid performance. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 NHS stats show men in the North used the little blue pills much more often than in the South last year. The East Riding of Yorkshire, including the towns of Goole, Beverley and Bridlington, topped the table with 3.572 per cent needing them. But it faced stiff opposition from Northumberland with 3.359 per cent. Other Yorkshire towns where a high proportion of men needed a bedtime boost were Rotherham, Barnsley and Scarborough. Meanwhile, those in Dorset, including the coastal towns of Poole and Bournemouth which are popular with retired folk, also made the top five with 3.274 per cent. But fellas in large areas of London, Cambridgeshire and Berkshire were far less likely to get the prescription. Leicester had the lowest rate at 1.5 per cent. Consultant urologist Gordon Muir, of London Bridge Hospital, said: 'NHS provision of this treatment can vary from region to region, as can the ratio of underlying disease which probably explains some of the differences.' Inside UK's fake Viagra epidemic…agonising three-day effects, 50p hits and deadly drugs, drywall & ink used as 'fillers'
