Taking a nap during the day can have huge health benefits for our brain, according to a new study. Researchers say a brief snooze can help keep the brain bigger as it ages - a marker of good brain health linked to a lower risk of dementia and other diseases.
Napping for as little as 30 minutes each day can prevent brain shrinkage, a process that occurs with age. Brain shrinkage is accelerated in people with cognitive problems and neurodegenerative diseases, with some research suggesting this may be related to sleep problems.
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The study, conducted by the University College London, showed nappers' brains were 15 cubic centimetres (0.9 cubic inches) larger. This is the equivalent to delaying ageing in the brain by between three and six years.
The research, published in the journal Sleep Health, analysed data from people aged 40 to 69. Using a technique called Mendelian randomisation, they looked at 97 snippets of DNA thought to determine people’s likelihood of habitual napping.
They compared measures of brain health and cognition of people who are more genetically “programmed” to nap with counterparts who did not have these genetic variants, using data from 378,932 people from the UK Biobank study, and found that, overall, people predetermined to nap had a larger total brain volume.
The research team estimated that the average difference in brain volume between people programmed to be habitual nappers and those who were not was equivalent to 2.6 to 6.5 years of ageing.
Lead author and PhD candidate Valentina Paz said: “By looking at genes set at birth, Mendelian randomisation avoids confounding factors occurring throughout life that may influence associations between napping and health outcomes. Our study points to a causal link between habitual napping and larger total brain volume.”
Dr Victoria Garfield added: “I hope studies such as this one showing the health benefits of short naps can help to reduce any stigma that still exists around daytime napping.”
