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Thank you to one of our Premium Members who submitted this excellent question:

“It is understood that a good night’s sleep is important for brain health. Do naps, long or short, give the same benefit or any benefit for brain health?”

This article is the answer from our experts.

Have a question? Become a premium member to submit a quesiton.

The ideal nap

Based on research that looked at 20 different studies and almost 2 million people, the ideal nap time is 30 minutes or less per day, with roughly a 25% reduced risk of cognitive impairment (Fang et al, 2023).

This means you might consider taking one 20-30 minute nap as part of your overall brain health strategy, if you are sleepy. If you’re not tired, there’s no evidence that a “forced nap” is good for the brain.

However, there’s a big catch - too much napping might actually be bad for the brain!

*Go ahead and take that 20-30 minute nap in the afternoon.*

Problematic napping

Similar to almost everything at Aldora - and in life - napping is good, but only in moderation.

Excessive and frequent daytime napping - meaning more than 30 minutes of total nap-time a day - seems to worsen memory and thinking over the long-term.

In the same paper that combined over 20 different studies, more than 30 minutes a day had a 35% increased risk of cognitive impairment and up to 40% if someone napped for more than 60 minutes a day (Fang et al, 2023).

This makes sense when you consider that research also shows that getting too much sleep at nighttime can be bad for the brain as well - you don’t want more than 9 hours, but you also don’t want less than 6.

As with everything - it’s about balance.

Remember: When you hear that something “increases your risk,” it’s important to consider what your risk was to begin with. For example, if your lifetime risk of developing dementia is 10%, taking long naps (more than 30 minutes a day) might raise that risk to 13.5% if the risk increase is “35%” — a real increase, but not as dramatic as it might sound at first. For more on understanding your starting risk, read this.

*If you find yourself sleeping more and more during the day - it might be time to check in with your doctor.*

So why are long naps so bad?

One study found that excessive napping (longer and more frequent) was linked to depression, higher body weight, and medical diseases (Cross et al, 2015).

There also seems to be a “bidirectional loop” where the more you nap, the worse your memory and thinking becomes the following year, which itself is linked to more daytime sleeping (Li et al, 2023).

Another way of looking at it is that the more you nap the less you can be out living your life. You might become less active, socially isolated, depressed, stuck in your routine, and overall develop many lifestyle habits we want to avoid for dementia prevention.

This is where Aldora’s philosophy of Living Medicine really comes in. It’s not just about the naps - it’s about the life you’re missing out on as a result. It’s all connected.

*If you’re always napping you’re not out keeping your brain and body active - you snooze, you lose!*

Finding the right balance

Let’s be clear: having some days or weeks of your life where you’re napping more frequently does not mean that you are going to get dementia or that you are ‘causing’ dementia to happen.

There are going to be times when you need more sleep for various reasons - maybe you’re not sleeping well at night due to stress, or maybe you don’t really know why but you just feel so much more tired lately.

Here are some more parameters to help you not worry about whether your naps are a problem, and if they are, what to do:

Once and a while: If you’re napping for more than 30 minutes a day occasionally - let’s say once or twice a week - this is probably fine.

Sudden increase in napping plus other symptoms: If you’re napping for more than 30 minutes a day AND you have other symptoms, like confusion, decreased appetite, fevers, new pain in your body, burning when you urinate, or any other change from your normal self, go to your family doctor or urgent care. Sometimes this can be a sign of an infection or other medical disease that’s making you more tired and sleepy. You’ll get what we call a “delirium workup” to ensure there’s nothing else causing your fatigue.
Gradual and consistent: If you’re napping for more than 30 minutes a day consistently, week over week, month over month, book an appointment with your family doctor to discuss. In the next section we give you an outline of how to approach this conversation.

*If you’re finding yourself consistently more fatigued during the day, it’s time to see your doctor.*

How to talk to your doctor if you’re napping too much

If you’re napping more than 30 minutes a day consistently for several months it’s time to book an appointment with your doctor and see if there’s anything reversible causing your sleepiness.

There are 8 big reasons that are fixable, and you wouldn’t want to miss finding and optimizing these. Talk to your doctor about whether any of the things below could be contributing to your fatigue.

1._Medication side effect

Review your medications with your doctor or pharmacist for ones that cause drowsiness, such as sleeping pills, strong pain pills, and certain antidepressants.

Read our medication resources for help with this.

2. Depression

Consider whether you’ve been feeling low or sad on most days for the last few months. Read our depression resources for more.

3. Sleep apnea

Ask your doctor whether you need a sleep study to diagnose sleep apnea (and wear a CPAP machine if you need it). You can read this article for more signs and symptoms to look for.

4. Heart failure

Sometimes if our heart isn’t beating as strongly as it used to, fluid can buildup in our lungs and legs which can cause poor sleep at night and more drowsiness during the day.

Have your family doctor check your oxygen level and listen to your lungs and examine your legs for swelling.

5. Excessive alcohol use

Are you drinking more than 1 drink a day? If so, your excess napping could be a result of your alcohol intake, which is known to make us sleepy.

Cut down slowly and see how that improves your fatigue, and read this article for more help.

6. Low blood pressure

If our blood pressure is too low we can feel tired all the time.

Ask your doctor or check your blood pressure at home while you’re sitting down AND again two minutes after you stand up.

If the top number is below 100, you might need to adjust your medications or wear compression stockings. Read our resources on blood pressure for more.

5. Anemia, Hypothyroid, B12 deficiency, Hypocalcemia, Cirrhosis, Kidney disease

We’ve lumped these conditions under one heading because you can check for all of them - and rule them out - with some simple blood work.

As your doctor to order blood work for: CBC, electrolytes, creatine, calcium, TSH, B12, albumin, AST, ALT, INR, GGT.

If any of these tests are far out of range, they might be contributing to your daytime sleepiness.

6. Lack of adequate nutrition

Are you fuelling your body enough during the day to have the energy to stay awake? Tea and toast is not enough!

Ask your doctor for a referral to a dietician, or read our resources on nutrition for more information.

7. Boredom

This isn’t really a medical diagnosis, but it’s something we’ve all experienced! When there’s nothing else to do, why not nap?

Well, now you have a reason not to - napping more than 30 minutes a day could lead to worse memory and thinking over time.

Instead of taking a second nap, try starting a new hobby that protects the brain, call a friend, or get outside for a walk. Live your life to the max!

8. Inadequate nighttime sleep

Shocking we left this to number 8, since it’s the most obvious!

If you are not getting enough sleep at night, you might find yourself napping more during the day. Check out our sleep resources and join the Sleep Better Course to learn how to improve your overnight sleep.

*Get your health on track to get more energy back in your day.*

In Closing…

Napping 30 minutes or less during a day seems to be beneficial for the brain.
However, consistently napping more than 30 minutes is linked to worse memory and thinking over the longterm.
If you’re napping more often, chances are that one of The Aldora 18 is out of sync. Talk to your doctor about the suggestions listed in the section above to optimize your health for better energy and to protect your brain.