Scientists named a habit that predicts early death

A study recently published in the prestigious journal SLEEP revealed a concerning link between daytime napping and life expectancy. According to the findings, middle-aged and elderly people who nap for more than half an hour during the day may face an increased risk of premature death. Irregular daytime rest patterns and the habit of falling asleep between 11 AM and 3 PM pose a particular danger.

Specialists from Harvard Medical School conducted a large-scale study, examining data from nearly 87,000 participants from the UK Biobank. At the beginning of the observations, the average age of volunteers was 63 years. The research methodology involved participants continuously wearing special wrist activity trackers for a week, which allowed for accurate recording of sleep periods. Any sleep occurring between 9:00 AM and 7:00 PM was considered a daytime nap.

Over 11 years of observation, more than 5,000 participants (about 6%) passed away. Detailed analysis of the collected data revealed three key risk factors: daytime naps lasting more than 30-40 minutes, inconsistency in daytime rest patterns, and the habit of falling asleep in the middle of the day. The researchers also took into account other risk factors for early mortality, including body mass index, smoking, alcohol consumption, and nighttime sleep quality.

"Our data shows that people with longer daytime naps, irregular daytime rest patterns, or the habit of sleeping in the middle of the day are at increased risk of not living to old age, even taking into account their general health and lifestyle," the study authors note.

The exact mechanisms explaining this relationship remain unclear. Scientists suggest two possible explanations: either prolonged and irregular daytime sleep is an indicator of hidden health problems, or such a rest pattern itself disrupts the body's natural biorhythms, which negatively affects life expectancy.