When and how often you nap may reveal your risk of dying, study finds

READ MORE: Scientists pinpoint the exact amount of sleep we needSee more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred SourceBy LUKE ANDREWS, U.S. SENIOR HEALTH CORRESPONDENT Published: 15:44 BST, 12 June 2026 | Updated: 15:44 BST, 12 June 2026

Some swear by their regenerative power - but now, scientists are warning that when and how often you nap could reveal your risk of an early death.In a new study, researchers at Harvard analyzed data on people who regularly nap or sleep between 9am and 7pm.They tracked about 1,400 adults aged 56 years and over for up to two decades. Over that period, 926 participants - about two-thirds - died.Overall, the scientists found that each additional hour of napping per day raised the risk of death by 13 percent, while every extra nap per day raised the risk by seven percent.Timing also had an impact. Compared to those who napped in the afternoon, those who napped in the morning - when people are usually alert - had a 30 percent higher risk of death.Naps themselves were not causing the deaths, but the scientists said they could be a warning sign of an underlying condition that may be disrupting sleep and raising the risk of death.Previous research already showed that disrupted sleep raises the risk of inflammation and weight gain in the body, which could cause lifespan-limiting chronic conditions.Frequent daytime naps have also been linked to heart disease, which raises the risk of a heart attack or stroke, and neurodegenerative disorders, which gradually rob sufferers of vital bodily functions. Scientists have revealed that how long and when you nap could reveal your risk of death