Napping during the day can help keep our brains healthy, according to a new study. However, previous studies have shown that oversleeping is also harmful.
According to researchers from University College London (UCL) and the University of the Republic of Uruguay, regular sleep is associated with increased brain volume, which is linked to the risk of dementia and other diseases.
On average, the difference in brain volume between nappers and non-nappers was 2.5 to 6.5 years, the researchers said.
Victoria Garfield, senior research fellow at UCL, said: “Our research shows that for some people, napping during the day may be one piece of the puzzle that can help keep our brains healthy.” description.
Although the study was “well done”, limitations included self-reported sleep habits, said Tara Spiers-Jones, president of the British Neuroscience Association and deputy director of the Discovery Brain Science Center at the University of Edinburgh. We did not participate in the study.
“Despite this limitation, this study is interesting because it adds to the growing body of evidence showing that sleep is important for brain health,” he said.
In response, Valentina Paz, a researcher at the University of UCL and the Republic of Uruguay, told CNN that “the work has some limitations,” but added that they believe in the methods used in the study.
Meanwhile, previous research has shown that frequent naps or frequent naps during the day can be early signs of dementia in older adults.
According to a study published in Alzheimer’s and Dementia, seniors who sleep at least once a day or more than an hour a day are 40% more likely to develop Alzheimer’s. A July 2022 study found that people who sleep often have high blood pressure and risk of stroke.
Study participants who usually sleep during the day are 12% more likely to develop high blood pressure and 24% more likely to have a stroke over time, compared to people who never sleep.
“This is because, although sleep itself is not harmful, many sleepers can do it because of a lack of sleep at night. “Insomnia is related to poor health and is compensated,” said clinical psychologist Michael Grandner in a statement at the time he directed the Sleep Medicine Clinic at Banner -University Medical Center in Tucson, Arizona.
Oversleeping can be a symptom of a sleep disorder, sleep expert Dr. Raj Dasgupta, associate professor of clinical medicine at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, told CNN in an interview.
“Sleep disturbances are linked to increased levels of stress and weight-regulation hormones, which can lead to obesity, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes,” he said. “I think sleepiness is a warning sign of a sleep disorder in some people.”
