Recent research suggests that adults who take short daytime naps may not only be catching up on sleep but also slowing down the aging process of the brain. University College London and Uruguay’s University of the Republic conducted a study using data from 35,080 individuals aged 40 to 69, collected via the UK Biobank project. The researchers specifically focused on participants with genetic variants associated with habitual daytime napping, which helped eliminate potential confounding factors. Lead author Valentina Paz, a PhD candidate at the University of the Republic, explains that this approach “avoids confounding factors…that may influence associations between napping and health outcomes.” The study’s findings were reported in the Journal of Sleep Health. (Source: The Guardian)
The researchers found a correlation between habitual daytime napping and larger total brain volume, suggesting that regular napping may provide protection against neurodegeneration by compensating for poor sleep. The brains of individuals with a genetic predisposition to daytime napping were approximately 0.9 cubic inches larger than those who did not have this genetic trait—an equivalent of 2.6 to 6.5 fewer years of aging. Dr. Victoria Garfield of University College London, a co-author of the study, states that “having a short daytime nap could potentially help preserve brain volume and that’s a positive thing, potentially [for] dementia prevention.” (Source: The Guardian)
Dr. Garfield further suggests that everyone could potentially benefit from napping, although it remains unclear whether individuals without the genetic predisposition would experience the same advantages. The genetic trait is present in only about 1% of the population. The study also revealed that participants who reported never or rarely taking daytime naps actually had larger total brain volume compared to those who reported occasionally or frequently napping. However, the latter group had a higher likelihood of smoking and suffering from diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The duration of the nap that provides the most benefit was not determined in this study, but previous research suggests that naps of under 30 minutes are optimal. (Source: BBC)
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