Experts Studied Daytime Habits of Older Adults—One Was Linked to Dementia
Daytime napping—how often, how intentionally and how long—was found to influence a person's risk of developing dementia.
Recent research suggests a common habit among older adults may raise their risk of developing dementia. A study led by Johns Hopkins University found that frequent napping, particularly intentional and prolonged napping, was linked to a higher likelihood of dementia among older U.S. Medicare users. While the study did not prove causation, it did show that those who napped often were 48% more likely to develop dementia compared to those who rarely napped.
The researchers noted that sleep patterns can become disrupted as brain proteins associated with dementia accumulate, potentially leading to more frequent napping. However, the study authors emphasized that further research is needed to determine if napping directly causes dementia or is simply a symptom of the disease.
Written by urgent.news from Newsweek's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
