Dementia risk may be linked to seemingly harmless daily habit, new research suggests

Frequent daytime napping among older adults has been linked to a higher risk of developing dementia, according to a study published in The Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences.Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health tracked nearly 1,000 adults age 65 and older who showed no signs of memory or thinking problems when the study began in 2013.A decade later, the researchers found that daily rest habits — like how often people nap, how long they sleep and whether they fall asleep by accident — are linked to long-term brain health.ONE TYPE OF SLEEP LINKED TO DRAMATICALLY LOWER RISK OF DEMENTIA, PARKINSON'S AND 81 OTHER DISEASESThe study found that participants who napped frequently, defined as most days or every day, had a 48% higher risk of developing dementia compared to those who rarely or never napped.IMAGEWhether the naps were intentional also appeared to play a role.Seniors who fell asleep unintentionally had a 39% higher risk, while shorter naps were also linked to poorer outcomes.Napping patterns offer critical insights into long-term brain health that cannot be measured by nighttime sleep quality or duration alone, researchers say.

(iStock)Napping for 30 minutes or less was linked to a 40% increased risk of dementia, even after researchers adjusted for other health factors.For naps longer than 30 minutes, the association was less pronounced after researchers accounted for nighttime sleep patterns.The research team stressed that looking at daytime napping habits gives a much clearer picture of overall health than looking at nighttime sleep alone.THIS ONE QUESTION MAY REVEAL WHETHER YOUR BODY IS GETTING THE REST IT NEEDS, STUDY FINDS"Our study highlights the importance of looking beyond just how long people nap and considering other napping characteristics, such as how frequently they nap and whether their naps are intentional," study authors Adam Spira, Ph.D., a professor at the Bloomberg School, and postdoctoral fellow Kenin...