Daytime naps slow the rate at which the brain shrinks with age by up to seven years, the researchers-led study shows.
Posted Date – Tue, 20 Jun 23 at 02:25pm
London: People who nap for around 30 minutes during the day may experience improved brain health that could significantly reduce their risk of dementia, according to a study.
Daytime naps slow the rate of brain shrinkage by up to seven years as people age, the study led by researchers at University College London, UK, and the University of the Republic of Uruguay showed.
The study, published in the journal Sleep Health, collected data on nearly 400,000 people in the UK aged between 40 and 69.
The findings showed that the average difference in brain volume, or organ size, between those programmed to habitually nap and those who did not was equivalent to 2.6 to 6.5 years of aging.
“Our findings suggest that, for some people, short daytime naps may be part of the puzzle, helping to keep the brain healthy as we age,” said MRC Unit of Lifelong Health and Aging at University College London. Dr. Victoria Garfield said.
For the study, researchers looked at 97 DNA segments that are thought to determine how likely people are to habitually nap. MRI scans showed that their brains were 15.8 cubic centimeters larger than those of non-nappers.
However, they found no link between napping and the size of the hippocampus, an area of the brain associated with memory and learning.
“This is the first study to attempt to disentangle the causal relationship between habitual daytime napping and brain cognitive and structural outcomes. Our study points to a causal relationship between habitual napping and greater total brain volume,” says Dr. Lead author Valentina Paz of the University of the Republic and University College London said.
Dr Garfield added: “I hope studies like this one showing the health benefits of napping will help reduce any stigma that still exists with daytime napping.”
