Daily napping help preserve brain health

New research suggests that napping may improve brain health.

Starting with data from 378,932 study participants (mean age 57), investigators compared measures of brain health and cognition of those who are more genetically programmed to nap with people who did not have these genetic variations. The researchers estimated that the average difference in brain volume between individuals genetically programmed to be habitual nappers and those who were not was equivalent to 15.8 cubic cm, or 2.6-6.5 years of aging. Taking a short nap in the early afternoon may help cognition in those needing it.

More work is needed to examine the associations between napping and cognition, and the replication of these findings using other datasets and methods. But this study is interesting because it adds to the data indicating that sleep is important for brain health.

Source : Is there an association between daytime napping, cognitive function, and brain volume? A Mendelian randomization study in the UK Biobank Valentina Paz, MSc

Hassan S. Dashti, PhD

Victoria Garfield, PhD