New study finds daily naps slow process of brain shrinkage

BOSTON - Our brains tend to shrink as we age but a new study published in the journal Sleep Health finds napping may slow that process.

Researchers at University College London looked at data on people ages 40 to 69 and found that those who were genetically programmed to nap had larger total brain volumes, a marker of good brain health, and a lower risk of dementia and other diseases. In fact, the difference in brain volume between the habitual nappers and the non-habitual nappers was equivalent to two-and-a-half to six-and-a-half years of aging.

Sleep experts say studies like these that demonstrate the health benefits of napping can help reduce the stigma that exists around daytime napping.

In:
• Health
• Sleep

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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