There are few things in life as glorious as a nap. But according to a new study, frequently needing one may be a sign that something is up. Researchers at Boston’s Mass General Brigham healthcare system warned that older adults who regularly nod off during the day could be impacting their heart health and cognitive ability. Morning naps, in particular, were linked to a higher risk of death and illness.
The doctors, who examined data from 1,338 adults over the age of 56, found that each additional hour of napping was linked to a 13 per cent increased risk of death, with morning nappers having a 30 per cent higher risk of death compared with afternoon nappers. However, the study author, Dr Chenlu Gao, said it was important to note that correlation does not equal causation. “Excessive napping later in life has been linked to neurodegeneration, cardiovascular diseases and even greater morbidity, but many of those findings rely on self-reported napping habits and leave out metrics like when and how regular those naps are,” he says.
In other words, it is not the napping that is the problem, but it may be an early warning sign of an underlying health condition or an indication that your sleep habits need improvement, says Dr Neil Stanley, a sleep consultant and former director of sleep research at the University of Surrey.
These are the sleep habits that might be indicative of poor health.
Regular napping
This new study is not the first time that daytime napping has been linked to poor health. In 2022, the American Heart Association (AHA) published research that found people who take regular afternoon naps could be at greater risk of high blood pressure and strokes. Those who napped most days had a 12 per cent higher chance of having high blood pressure than those who never napped. High blood pressure has been linked to a range of conditions such as heart disease, stroke and dementia.
Dr Michael Grandner from the AHA says that the study echoed “other findings that generally show that taking more naps seems to reflect increased risk for problems with heart health and other issues. This may be because, although taking a nap itself is not harmful, many people who take naps may do so because of poor sleep at night”, something that is associated with poorer overall health.
This can lead to a toxic cycle of more napping and further poor sleep, with researchers at the University of California finding that daytime napping may accelerate cognitive decline by causing people to sleep less well at night. “A 20-minute power nap has never hurt anybody, quite the opposite, in fact,” says Dr Stanley. “But if you are napping more frequently, it is going to affect your overnight sleep. As we get older, there are more opportunities to nap, so it can become a vicious cycle.”
Studies show that between 20 and 60 per cent of older adults take naps. “And they can be refreshing and restorative,” says Dr Stanley, “but if you nap every single day, you run the risk of messing up your sleep schedule and finding it harder to fall asleep at bedtime, so try going for a walk or doing something other than sitting down instead.”
An irregular sleep routine
“For the past couple of decades, when we talked about sleep and health, we focused on the number of hours of sleep we were getting,” says Dr Stanley. “However, the message has recently changed and it is not the quantity so much as the regularity. We now know that going to bed and waking up at roughly the same time each day, even at weekends, is the biggest indicator of health and mortality.”
A study in 2020 found that adults with irregular sleeping habits are almost twice as likely to develop cardiovascular disease as those who wake up at the same time every day. Dr Stanley says this is because a regular sleep pattern sets your circadian rhythm, which is your internal body clock that regulates cell regeneration, insulin and hormone production. Having a lie-in at the weekend disrupts this rhythm, causing what is called “social jet lag”. If you are getting seven to eight hours’ sleep on weekdays, there is no reason why you should not stick to that routine at the end of the week.
Researchers from Vanderbilt University Medical Center in the US also found that waking up at the same time each day is as good for your heart as exercise and a healthy diet. They also found that adults over the age of 45 who woke up at different times throughout the week were more likely to have hardened arteries than those with a set wake-up time. “Your body thrives on a sleep routine,” says Dr Stanley. “If you start waking up at the same time each day, you will soon start to feel more energised in the mornings.”
Hitting the snooze button
Constantly hitting the snooze button does not just make you late; it also disrupts your sleep cycle and extends the period of sleep inertia, the groggy feeling just after waking.
Dr Stanley says you should not need to snooze in the morning, noting that a post-lunch dip in energy levels is more normal. “Morning sleepiness is indicative that something is wrong, either with your health or with your sleep patterns.
“When you have a regular wake-up time, your body knows to start releasing the hormone cortisol 90 minutes before you wake. This is often thought of as the stress hormone, but it also helps us feel less groggy and more refreshed in the mornings.”
Eating too close to bedtime
Research increasingly shows that eating a heavy meal late at night has a negative effect on our gut microbiome and a range of other bodily processes. It can also result in acid reflux, poor-quality sleep and weight gain. “Your body and digestive system really do not want you to eat a big meal too close to bedtime,” says Dr Stanley. “If your body is busy working to burn off calories and digest food, your body temperature does not drop. Instead, it remains high, which makes it difficult for you to settle into a deep sleep.”
In 2025, researchers from Northwestern University studied adults aged between 36 and 75 and found that having your last meal three hours before bedtime resulted in decreased blood pressure and a lower heart rate without changing the quality or quantity of their diet. “Seeing that a relatively simple change in meal timing could simultaneously improve processes like breathing and digestion, blood pressure, heart regulation and morning glucose metabolism, all without calorie restriction or weight loss, was remarkable,” says Dr Daniela Grimaldi, who worked on the study.
A nighttime tipple
Dr Stanley says that while a small amount of alcohol may help you fall asleep, the problems come later in the night: “As with food, if your body is busy trying to work off alcohol, your body temperature stays high, which hinders sleep. And as we get older, if you drink alcohol in the evenings, especially too close to bedtime, you will probably be woken in the middle of the night by your bladder, and again first thing.” Our ability to metabolise sugar also decreases in the evening, meaning our night-time tipple could lead to glucose intolerance and even type 2 diabetes.
Moderate early evening drinking is less problematic, he says, but late-night or binge drinking will wreck your sleep. “We process one unit of alcohol per hour, so a lunchtime drink, unless it is excessive, will be out of your system by the time you go to bed. However, we all have a different sensitivity to alcohol and there is no ideal time to stop; you just need to find out what works for you.”