A large study from Mass General Brigham suggests that excessive daytime napping among older adults may be linked to higher mortality rates.

Researchers followed 1,338 adults for up to 19 years, tracking napping schedules using wrist-worn devices to analyze patterns of rest and movement.

The findings revealed that more frequent, longer, or earlier naps were all associated with greater mortality risk.

According to the study, morning naps corresponded with about a 30 percent increase in mortality risk.

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Each additional hour of daily napping added about 13 percent, while each extra nap per day was tied to roughly a 7 percent increase.

Lead author Chenlu Gao, Ph.D., from the department of anesthesiology at Mass General Brigham, said in a press release that the research stood out because it relied on objective measurements rather than self-reported data.

“Excessive napping later in life has been linked to neurodegeneration, cardiovascular diseases and even greater morbidity, but many of those findings rely on self-reported napping habits,” Gao noted.

“Our study is one of the first to show an association between objectively measured nap patterns and mortality.”

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The research team emphasized that monitoring nap timing and duration could have clinical value, potentially helping identify early signs of health decline.

However, the investigators also pointed out key limitations. Because the research was observational, it could not establish that napping directly caused higher mortality. It only demonstrated a correlation.

The study did not control for underlying medical conditions that might influence both napping and mortality rates.

The devices used measured only movement, which means periods of stillness might sometimes have been misclassified as sleep.

Another caveat: the population studied consisted primarily of older White adults in the Midwest, making it unclear whether the same associations would appear in more diverse populations.

“It is important to note that this is correlation, not causation,” Gao said. “Excessive napping is likely to indicate underlying disease, chronic conditions, sleep disturbances or circadian dysregulation.”

Despite the uncertainties, Gao said the results strengthen the case for using wearable devices to routinely track daytime rest as a potential early health indicator.

“Now that we know there is a strong correlation between napping patterns and mortality rates, we can make the case to implement wearable daytime nap assessments to predict health conditions and prevent further decline,” Gao added.

The study received support from the National Institutes of Health and affiliated research programs.

The researchers concluded that while short, occasional naps may be rejuvenating, persistent or prolonged daytime sleeping in older age could be a sign worth further attention from healthcare providers.