New research from Mass General Brigham finds a clear association between frequent or long daytime naps and higher mortality risk in older adults, based on nearly two decades of tracking with wrist-worn devices and long-term follow-up.
Daytime napping is common in later life, and the study points out that between 20% and 60% of older adults nap regularly. The researchers monitored 1,338 participants for up to 19 years, using wrist trackers to log when and how long naps occurred. That objective approach aimed to move beyond self-reported sleep habits, which can be unreliable.
The headline findings are specific and notable: morning naps were tied to about a 30% increase in mortality risk, each extra hour of daily napping carried roughly a 13% higher risk, and every additional nap per day raised risk by about 7%. Those associations were consistent enough for the team to flag nap timing and duration as potential red flags. The data do not suggest casual, short naps are always harmful, but they do raise concern about frequent or long daytime sleep in older people.
“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,” lead author Chenlu Gao, Ph.D., an investigator in the department of anesthesiology at the Mass General Brigham, said in the press release. The research team emphasized the value of objectively measured nap patterns as a different lens on health risk. Wrist-based tracking allowed investigators to capture timing and regularity in ways questionnaires cannot.
“Our study is one of the first to show an association between objectively measured nap patterns and mortality and suggests there is immense clinical value in tracking napping patterns to catch health conditions early.” That is an important claim because it frames naps as possible early indicators rather than automatic causes. Clinicians could consider daytime sleep patterns alongside other markers when evaluating older patients.
The study has clear limitations that matter for interpretation. It was observational, so the link between napping and mortality could reflect underlying illnesses that make people sleepier during the day rather than napping causing harm. The trackers measured movement, not brain activity, which means quiet rest could be counted as sleep and blur the picture. The research also did not adjust for every potential contributing health condition, leaving room for confounding factors.
Another important caveat is the study population itself: mostly older, White adults from the Midwest. That demographic narrowness limits how far the findings can be generalized to broader, more diverse groups. Different cultures and communities have varied napping norms and health profiles, so the same associations might not hold everywhere. Future work should test these patterns across more representative samples.
“It is important to note that this is correlation, not causation. Excessive napping is likely to indicate underlying disease, chronic conditions, sleep disturbances or circadian dysregulation,” said Gao. That caution keeps the focus on clinical evaluation rather than alarmist headlines. Investigators and clinicians are calling for careful follow-up when excessive daytime sleep shows up in older patients.
“Now that we know there is a strong correlation between napping patterns and mortality rates, we can make the case to implement wearable daytime nap assessments to predict health conditions and prevent further decline.” Wearables could help clinicians detect changes in sleep behavior over time and flag patients who might benefit from diagnostic workups. At the same time, any move to widespread monitoring would need validation, privacy safeguards, and clear protocols for action.
For older adults and caregivers, the practical takeaway is to pay attention if daytime sleep becomes frequent, long, or shows up earlier in the day than usual. Mention such changes to a healthcare provider, particularly if accompanied by other symptoms like fatigue, memory problems, or new medical complaints. Objective tracking tools can add useful data, but they are only one piece of a broader clinical assessment.
