Gravitas | People who nap frequently have 48% higher risk of developing dementia: Study

Do you like taking a nap every day? While it can help combat fatigue, and enhance mood, a new study has flagged the adverse impact, it may have on your mental health. This study published in the journal of Gerontology was conducted by researchers from The John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. They used the 10-year data of nearly 1,000 Americans aged 65 and above who did not have dementia at the outset.

According to their findings, people who napped frequently that is almost every day had a 48% higher risk of developing dementia as compared to those who rarely or never napped. On the other hand, unintentional sleeping which implies falling asleep without meaning to was associated with a 39% higher risk of dementia. Crucially, the researchers believe that there is a two-way relationship between napping and dementia risk.

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Let's break this down further for you. While napping is a risk factor for dementia, the study claims that degenerating brain regions that regulate wakefulness may lead to more napping. According to the researchers, monitoring napping could help identify older adults who have a higher risk of developing dementia in the future.

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At the same time, the study emphasises that these findings are only observational. More research is required to determine, whether changing sleeping habits could result in a positive impact on a person's health. It is worth noting that dementia is currently the seventh leading cause of death worldwide with 10 million new cases added every year.

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