If you are older and find yourself napping during the day, and you do it too often, if you do it unintentionally, it could be linked to your chances of getting dementia.
A new study from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health followed almost 1,000 65-year-olds for 10 years and uncovered a link between napping and changes in the brain that indicate onset of dementia. “More frequent napping could be a marker of changes in the brain, rather than a cause of brain changes that lead to dementia,” says Adam Spira, PhD, MA, senior author of the paper and professor in the Bloomberg School’s Department of Mental Health.
So, is it possible that if you nap less frequently it may reduce the risk of dementia, according to a spokesman for the study.
Kening Jiang, PhD. of the school tells onLAca.com: “Our study found that certain daytime napping characteristics, including more frequent and unintended napping, were associated with a higher risk of developing dementia. Our study provides important longitudinal evidence suggesting that daytime napping may be a potentially modifiable risk factor for dementia, but we are not saying that napping causes dementia. This means it remains unclear whether changing nap habits could help prevent dementia.”
They need to do more long-term studies to be sure. The research continues and knowledge is power.
This is for informational purposes only. For medical advice or diagnosis, consult a professional.
Read more: From the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health website:
Daytime napping is common among older adults. New research from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health suggests that how often, how intentionally, and how long older people nap may be linked to their risk of developing dementia.
The study, published online October 5 in The Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences, followed 995 U.S. Medicare beneficiaries age 65 and older who were free of dementia at the start of the study in 2013 and tracked them for up to 10 years using data from the National Health and Aging Trends Study, a nationally representative survey of older adults.
The researchers found that participants who napped frequently—defined as most days or every day—had a 48% higher risk of developing dementia compared to those who rarely or never napped, even after accounting for demographic factors, health conditions, and nighttime sleep characteristics such as sleep duration, daytime sleepiness, and a measure of obstructive sleep apnea risk.
Unintentional napping—defined as falling asleep without meaning to rather than planning a nap—was associated with a 39% higher risk of dementia. Napping for 30 minutes or less was also linked to a 40% higher risk, an association that held up after accounting for a range of potential confounders, while the association for naps longer than 30 minutes weakened once nighttime sleep factors were considered.
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