Morning naps may flag higher mortality risk in older adults

By Vijay Kumar MalesuReviewed by Susha Cheriyedath, M.Sc.Apr 21 2026

Wearable sleep tracking revealed that not all naps are equal, with longer, more frequent, and morning naps standing out as potential markers of underlying health vulnerability in later life.

Study: Objectively Measured Daytime Napping Patterns and All-Cause Mortality in Older Adults. Image Credit: Koldunov / Shutterstock

In a recent study published in the JAMA Network Open, a group of researchers examined whether objectively measured daytime nap duration, frequency, variability, and timing are associated with all-cause mortality in older adults.

Daytime Napping Patterns in Older Adults

Did you know that around 60% of older adults take regular daytime naps? Shorter daytime naps may help you feel more alert, but recent evidence suggests that excessive daytime sleepiness may indicate potential health problems.

Studies have linked long naps with health problems, but most have relied on self-reported data. Counting naps and duration using wearable devices provides a more objective assessment of sleep behaviors.

Monitoring patterns of napping as well as duration of napping could help identify potential health issues, while more research is needed to confirm and better understand the associations established in this research.

Actigraphy-Based Napping Study Design

This prospective cohort study analyzed data from the Rush Memory and Aging Project (MAP), a long-term clinical-pathologic study involving community-dwelling older adults in northern Illinois. Individuals aged 56 years or older were included in this study if they had valid actigraphy records and mortality follow-up data. Actigraphy, worn on the wrist, was used to objectively measure daytime napping in this study for up to 14 days.

Researchers measured daily nap duration, frequency, and day-to-day variability in nap duration. Nap timing was categorized into the 3 most frequent 3-hour nap windows: morning, early afternoon, or late afternoon.

The researchers conducted mortality follow-up, autopsies, or regular contact with participants. Statistical models were used to estimate the relationship between napping habits and total mortality. The models were adjusted for the demographic variables, body mass index (BMI), depressive symptoms assessed by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), chronic conditions, medication use, physical activity, and disability.

Nap Duration, Frequency, and Mortality Risk

A total of 1338 participants were included in the study, with a mean age of 81.4 years and 76% being female. Of the sample, 926 (69.2%) died over an average follow-up period of 8.3 years. Furthermore, nearly all study participants (99%) took daytime naps during the actigraphy monitoring period, showing the prevalence of this activity among older persons.

Longer nap duration was consistently associated with increased mortality risk. Specifically, when controlling for all confounding variables, each additional hour spent napping during the day was associated with a 13% increased risk of death. This effect was comparable to the mortality risk associated with being approximately one year older.

In a similar manner, there was a statistically significant association between the frequency of naps taken and the increased likelihood of dying. Specifically, for every additional daily nap, there was an increase of 7% in the likelihood of dying, even after accounting for several factors related to sleep quality, medical conditions, and lifestyle.

Variability in nap duration from day to day was not significantly associated with mortality. Irregularity in sleep hours is considered undesirable; however, this study’s findings suggested that day-to-day variability in nap duration is not associated with mortality in this cohort after full adjustment.

Morning Naps and Clinical Implications

The timing of naps was also found to be a major factor. Those who primarily took morning naps had a 30% higher risk of mortality than those who took early afternoon naps, essentially reflecting an additional 2.5 years of age. Taking morning naps may indicate excessive daytime disruption of the body’s circadian rhythms due to health problems; whereas early afternoon napping may not be as high-risk.

Further analyses showed that these associations persisted even after excluding participants with serious health burdens or very long daytime nap durations. However, some associations were weaker when analyses were limited to participants without baseline cognitive impairment. In conclusion, the results support the idea that longer, more frequent, and particularly morning-daytime napping may be behavioral markers of underlying health vulnerability.

Objectively Measured Napping and Health Vulnerability

This study shows that objectively measured daytime napping patterns are strongly associated with all-cause mortality in older adults. Longer and more frequent naps, particularly those occurring in the morning, were linked to increased risk of death, even after adjustment for nighttime sleep and other health factors.

Findings suggest that sleep analysis using wearable technologies can provide early identification of underlying health vulnerabilities. Monitoring daytime napping patterns may help identify older adults who could benefit from further clinical evaluation, although the study did not show that changing nap habits would improve health outcomes or longevity.