Jun 27, 2025
Story at-a-glance
- Long daytime naps and inconsistent nap durations were linked to significantly higher risks of early death, regardless of nighttime sleep quality or baseline health status
- People who regularly napped in the early afternoon or whose naps varied widely in length from day to day faced the greatest health risks, including cardiovascular and metabolic complications
- Research shows that naps longer than 30 minutes are associated with increased risks of death, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer, while short naps under 30 minutes offer cognitive benefits
- Among older women, daily napping raised the risk of all-cause mortality by 44%, and sleeping 10 or more hours per day raised death risk by 58%, even when other factors like illness and depression were accounted for
- Consistent short naps are far less risky than irregular or long naps; if your daytime sleep varies a lot or exceeds 30 minutes, it could be a warning sign of underlying inflammation, energy imbalance or circadian rhythm disruption