[Health Channel/Comprehensive Report] Elders should be careful if their naps get longer and longer! A 19-year follow-up study found that for every additional hour of nap time per day, the risk of all-cause mortality increased by 13%; taking one more nap per day increased the risk by 7%; and taking a nap in the morning increased the risk by 30%. Nutritionist Xue Xiaojing pointed out that this is an observational study. Don’t rush to ban naps. You can find out the reasons behind the fatigue of the elderly by recording sleep time for 1 to 2 weeks, checking diseases and medications, placing rest in the morning and afternoon, paying attention to appetite and activity, and maintaining daytime sunlight and activities.
Napping longer and longer may lead to health risks
Xue Xiaojing shared on Facebook "The Life Notes of Nutritionist Mom Xiaojing" that in April 2026, "JAMA Network Open" research analyzed 1,338 elderly people in the community, with an average age of 81.4 years, and a longest follow-up of 19 years, with an average of 8.3 years. The study found that for each additional hour of nap time per day, the risk of all-cause death was 13% higher; for each additional nap per day, the risk of all-cause death was 7% higher; people who were used to napping in the morning had a 30% higher risk of all-cause death than those who mainly took naps in the morning and afternoon.
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Xue Xiaojing explained that this is an observational study and cannot prove that napping directly causes death. It cannot be interpreted to mean that "napping will shorten your life." Researchers believe that naps that are too long, too frequent, or that occur in the morning may be more like an external manifestation of physical frailty or underlying disease. Chronic pain, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, metabolic syndrome, emotional distress, neurodegeneration, and obstructive sleep apnea can all lead to daytime fatigue and lack of energy, requiring constant naps to compensate.
Xue Xiaojing said that usually constantly reminding the elderly to "stop sleeping during the day" may not solve the problem. What is more important is to see changes in nap patterns and find out why the elderly are getting more and more tired. If you find that your elders sleep more and more, you can do these 5 things first:
1. Record for 1-2 weeks first, don’t just rely on impressions.
Write down approximately how long you sleep each night, what time you go to bed during the day, how many times you sleep, how long you sleep each time, and whether you feel refreshed after waking up. If you have a smart watch, you can also use it to observe sleep trends.
Occasionally sleeping more in a day does not necessarily mean there is a problem. If the sleep increases for several consecutive weeks, this record will be a valuable clue when seeing a doctor.
2. There is no need to impose a total ban, rest in the morning and afternoon.
If the elderly feel tired, they can prioritize resting in the afternoon after lunch, starting with 20-30 minutes, and observe whether their energy after waking up and their sleep at night are affected. Do not force tired elders to stay awake just to control time.
3. If you fall asleep repeatedly in the morning, check your illness and medication together.
If an elder frequently naps in the morning and is accompanied by loud snoring, sleep apnea, morning headaches, chest tightness, wheezing, or changes in cognitive function, they may seek further evaluation from a family medicine department, neurology department, or sleep clinic.
Sleeping pills, anti-anxiety drugs, analgesics, and some chronic disease medications may also affect your level of wakefulness during the day. Do not stop taking the medication or adjust the dose on your own; bring the complete medication list with you to discuss it with your doctor.
4. Appetite and weight decrease together, and sleep cannot be dealt with alone.
The study did not analyze diet, so it cannot be said that supplementing with a certain food will reduce the risk of death in the study. However, if the elder is eating less and less at the same time, losing weight or losing muscle strength, the nutritional status also needs to be addressed.
Try to arrange a palm-sized portion of protein food at each meal, such as fish, eggs, tofu, meat, milk or sugar-free soy milk. Don’t just have porridge and pickled cucumbers for breakfast for a long time, and don’t just have a few bites of noodles for lunch. When the food intake is small, you can use fresh milk, sugar-free yogurt, soy milk, etc. to arrange small and frequent meals to supplement protein and calories.
5. Keep sunlight and activities during the day, and don’t lie down all day.
Opening the curtains in the morning, going outside to expose yourself to sunlight, and then arranging walking, stretching, housework, or simple resistance exercises according to physical strength will help maintain wakefulness and day-night rhythms during the day.
If your elder is walking more slowly, needs a handrail to get out of a chair, or needs help from a family member to do things he or she could normally do, it's also worth telling the health care provider about these changes in function.
Xue Xiaojing concluded that naps are not the enemy, and there is no need to be overly nervous when you occasionally take a nap when you are tired. It is worth paying attention to whether the elder sleeps longer and more frequently than in the past, or even falls asleep repeatedly after breakfast. Family members can first record the changes and then find out the reasons behind it.
