Daily naps may increase older women’s death risk
According to a new study, a daily nap may raise the death risk for an elderly woman.
Researchers from the California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute found that elderly white women who took a daily nap were 44% more likely to die from any cause, 58% more prone to dying from heart problems, and nearly 60% more likely to die from non-cardiovascular or non-cancer causes.
The study also showed that elderly women that slept 9-10 hours each day had a greater mortality risk, compared to those who slept between eight and nine hours.
Studies done over seven years on more than 8,000 white women aged 69 or older revealed that the results were true even if the women were relatively healthy. Researchers stated that the participants who had a nap less than three hours a week showed no increased chance of death.
Since excessive sleep suggests that night time sleep is disrupted, interventions to treat sleep disorders and improve sleep quality in older women may reduce mortality risk.