Keep naps under half an hour; needing one or two hours daily deserves investigation
Naps under an hour were not associated with higher mortality or chronic-disease risk and improved alertness. Naps over an hour were associated with about 30% higher coronary risk and 20% higher diabetes and obesity risk. Set an alarm for half an hour. If you cannot cope without one or two hours daily, investigate why.
What it takes
Free. Set an alarm before lying down; little willpower is required.
What you may gain
An umbrella review synthesized 16 meta-analyses and 244 health outcomes. Naps under 60 minutes were not associated with increased all-cause mortality or chronic disease and showed the greatest cognitive improvement (SMD 0.69, 95% CI 0.37–1.00). Naps of 20–30 minutes had the largest athletic-performance improvement (SMD 0.99, 0.67–1.31). Over 60 minutes was associated with about 30% higher coronary disease risk and 20% higher diabetes and obesity risk. Another study objectively measured naps using wrist devices in 1,338 adults over 56, with up to 19 years of follow-up and 926 deaths. Each additional nap hour was associated with 13% higher mortality (HR 1.13, 95% CI 1.04–1.23); each additional daily nap with 7% higher mortality (HR 1.07, 1.02–1.13). Morning versus early-afternoon naps had HR 1.30 (1.03–1.64).
Context & considerations
These associations do not establish that naps cause the excess risk. Long nappers may already have sleep apnea, anemia, hypothyroidism, depression or other chronic illness. Mendelian randomization using genetic data from 453,000 plus 541,000 people supported only small increases in blood pressure and waist circumference with more frequent napping; it found no causal effect on coronary disease or diabetes. Do not treat less napping as a proven mortality-reduction strategy. Investigating the cause is the author's grade C advice: review nighttime sleep, investigate snoring and breathing pauses for apnea, and consider blood counts and thyroid testing. See a 10-minute afternoon nap and nighttime sleep.
Research & references
Du P, Li J, Hua Z, et al. (2026). Multiple Health Outcomes of Daytime Napping: A Comprehensive Umbrella Review. Public Health Reviews. https://doi.org/10.3389/phrs.2026.1609013 ; Gao C, Cai R, Zheng X, et al. (2026). Objectively Measured Daytime Napping Patterns and All-Cause Mortality in Older Adults. JAMA Network Open. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2026.7938 ; Dashti HS et al. (2021). Genetic determinants of daytime napping and effects on cardiometabolic health. Nature Communications. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-20585-3