Health · Fitness & Nutrition · 6 hrs ago
Frequent Napping Linked to Higher Dementia Risk in Older Adults
A 10-year study linked frequent napping with dementia risk among nearly 1,000 Americans aged 65 and older.
People who napped every day or most days had a 48 percent higher risk of developing dementia.
Unplanned naps or naps lasting 30 minutes or less were also linked to about a 40 percent higher risk.
The relationship may work in both directions: changes in brain areas that control wakefulness could lead to more napping, while napping may also be a risk factor.
The study was observational, so it cannot show that naps cause dementia.
Tracking changes in napping may help flag risk, but naps can also reduce fatigue and support memory, mood and work performance.
Researchers say longer future studies are needed to clarify the link and whether changing nap habits could help.
Older Americans who napped every day or most days had a 48 percent higher risk of developing dementia in a 10-year study.
The study included nearly 1,000 people on Medicare aged 65 and older.
Unintentional naps and naps lasting 30 minutes or less were also linked to about a 40 percent higher risk.
Researchers said the relationship may work both ways, and the observational findings do not show that napping causes dementia.
They said monitoring napping could help identify older adults at higher risk.
- Who
- Nearly 1,000 people on Medicare aged 65 and older took part in the study.
- What
- Frequent napping was linked to a higher risk of developing dementia.
- When
- The study followed participants for 10 years; the article was published on October 19, 2026.
- Where
- The participants were older Americans.
- Why
- Researchers said the link may reflect changes in brain regions that regulate wakefulness, as well as a possible relationship between napping and dementia risk.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Research cited in the article linked longer and more frequent naps to a higher risk of death and underlying illness in older adults.
The Independent reported findings from a 10-year study linking frequent napping with higher dementia risk.
- Frequent naps
- Linked to a 48 percent higher dementia risk
- Short or unintentional naps
- Linked to around a 40 percent higher dementia risk
- Study duration
- 10 years
- Study participants
- Nearly 1,000 people on Medicare aged 65 and older
- Data source
- National Health and Aging Trends Study
What people are saying
More frequent napping could be a marker of changes in the brain, rather than a cause of brain changes that lead to dementia