Did you know that daytime napping could help keep our brains healthy? Napping isn’t just for toddlers or tired athletes. It’s something everyone could benefit from, according to a new study.
This research, led by teams at UCL and the University of the Republic in Uruguay, says that our brains shrink less as we age if we take regular daytime naps.
The Study’s Findings
The researchers studied data from people aged 40 to 69 and found a link between regular napping and larger brain volume.
A larger brain volume can mean a healthier brain. This can reduce the risk of diseases like dementia.
Dr. Victoria Garfield from UCL said, “Our findings suggest that, for some people, short daytime naps could help keep the brain healthy as we get older.”
Past studies showed that people who had a short nap did better on tests that measure thinking skills than people who didn’t nap.
This new study wanted to find out if there was a direct link between daytime napping and brain health.
How the Study Was Conducted
The researchers used a method called Mendelian randomization. This allowed them to look at 97 pieces of DNA that might make people more likely to nap often.
They then compared these people’s brain health and thinking skills to people without these DNA pieces.
The study used data from 378,932 people from the UK Biobank study. It found that, overall, people who were more likely to nap had a larger total brain volume.
The difference in brain volume between regular nappers and non-nappers was like 2.6 to 6.5 years of aging.
But, there wasn’t a difference in three other measures of brain health and thinking skills. These were the volume of the hippocampus (a part of the brain), reaction time, and visual processing.
The Research Team’s Insights
Lead researcher Valentina Paz from the University of the Republic said, “This is the first study to look at the direct link between habitual daytime napping and brain outcomes.
Our study points to a link between regular napping and a larger total brain volume.”
Dr. Garfield added, “I hope studies like this one showing the health benefits of short naps can help reduce any stigma that still exists around daytime napping.”
The DNA Connection to Napping
In an earlier study, genetic variants that affect our likelihood to nap were identified. This was based on self-reported napping and confirmed with measurements of physical activity recorded by a wrist-worn device.
In this new study, the researchers analyzed health and thinking outcomes for people with these genetic variants.
They also made adjustments to avoid potential bias. For instance, they avoided variants linked to excessive daytime sleepiness.
Study Limitations and Suggestions
The authors of the study noted a few limitations. All of the participants were of white European ancestry, so the findings might not apply to other ethnic groups.
The researchers didn’t have information on how long the naps lasted.
But, earlier studies suggest that naps of 30 minutes or less are best for short-term thinking benefits, and napping earlier in the day is less likely to disrupt sleep at night.
If you care about sleep, please read studies that common sleep and anxiety drug may cause addiction, and this herb may help you sleep better at night.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies about common food oil in the U.S. that can change genes in the brain, and results showing this mental health drug may harm your brain health.
The study was published in Sleep Health.
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